Five and a half years from the initial vision, Bethesda Primary Care Centre in Steinbach is all but ready to open.

The Centre is located at 381 Stonebridge Crossing just off Loewen Boulevard near Eastman Education Centre. Earlier this week, individuals closely connected to the project had a chance to walk through the nearly complete facility.

Darrel Penner is Chair of Bethesda Wellness. He says the 29,477 square foot building will house the doctors and staff of Steinbach Family Medical. It is their hope that this new facility will assist in doctor recruitment and retention. Penner says initially the move will include 20 medical doctors with capacity for up to approximately 30.

The QuickCare Clinic will be moving from Clearspring Centre and will also be housed in the building along with a Primary Care Pharmacy, the Dynacare Lab, mental health services, midwifery team, the Steinbach My Health Team and other health care providers.

The QuickCare Clinic is scheduled to begin taking patients by late August, with a target date of August 25th. Meanwhile, Fred Pauls, Chief Administrative Officer of Steinbach Family Medical says the last day of operation at their present location will be August 24th. From August 24-28, Steinbach Family Medical staff will be moving and setting up in preparation for their opening on August 29th.

The Stonebridge Wellness Centre across the street is also nearing completion. The building will house a number of medical providers including an enhanced hearing centre, a medical infusion centre and a non-medical home care service. Penner says about one-third of the approximately 16,000 square feet is currently leased.

According to Penner, the big partner in this project is the Bethesda Foundation and he says the Foundation would not exist if not for the many donors in the community. Garth Reimer, Chair of Bethesda Foundation says he is pleased that the Foundation's fundraising efforts and generous support from donors throughout the southeast made this project a reality.

Penner says other partners are Steinbach Family Medical, which is a major tenant, occupying about two-thirds the space. He adds Southern Health has been facilitative and then also thanks Three Way Builders, MMP Architects and Jack Kehler who was hired to oversee the project from inception.

The budget for this project was more than $10 million.