Urgent care franchise certified

Owners of Doctors Express Hartsdale announced their facility at 359 N. Central Ave. has been certified as a Category 1 urgent care center, where only licensed physicians see patients during office hours.

The certification from the Urgent Care Association of America “corroborates our mission of delivering quality medical care in a state-of-the-art facility,” Doctors Express franchise owner Dan Purugganan said in a press release.

As a certified urgent care center, the Hartsdale clinic must see patients on a walk-in basis seven days a week, be up to date on site X-ray and lab services, be prepared to treat most non-life-threatening ailments and injuries, and be prepared to administer cardiac life support in an emergency.

Based in Birmingham, Ala., AFC/ Doctors Express is the nation’s largest urgent care franchise.  Formerly based in Baltimore, Md., Doctors Express in 2013 was acquired by American Family Care, an operator of medical clinics in the South. Company officials said AFC/DRX by the end of this year will have more than 160 franchise facilities in 26 states and  providing care to more than 1 million patients.