For Woodbridge residents that are tired of waiting in long lines at emergency rooms, a new urgent care facility has opened its doors in Merchants Plaza for an assortment of medical needs.

Doctors Express, in the same shopping center as the Safeway grocery store, is a part of a national chain of urgent care facilities but is locally-owned by a husband and wife duo, Rhonda and and Keith Pellicano.

Woodbridge already has several urgent care facilities available for patients that can not be seen by Potomac Hospital. While the center is located in the middle of two other urgent care facilities – Virginia Urgent Care off of Hoadly Rd. and My Urgent Care in Lake Ridge – the Pellicanos think it will still fill a void in the medical community.

"We want to be a one-stop shop," said RhondaPellicano. "When you don't feel well it's awful when you have to go to the doctor and they send you out to two or three other places. We have what we need on hand to treat most illness and injuries."

Doctors Express started about five years ago by an Dr. Scott Burger, an emergency room physician, and his business partner after Burger was dissatisfied with the efficiency of the emergency room. 

Pellicano said that Dr. Burger witnessed patients that would "wait forever" and would oftentimes be bumped to the back of the line when patients with more time-sensitive needs came up.

"We are a national organization but each center is locally owned and operated," said Pellicano, who does most of the administrative management at the center. "Our role is to make sure the staff has everything they need to care for the patients."

In Woodbridge, the Doctors Express walk-in medical center treats a broad range of non-life threatening treatment and services on the spot. Under one roof, experienced physicians will diagnose and treat illnesses, dispense medication and have the capabilities to x-ray and set broken bones.

The Woodbridge center physician is Dr. Constantine Chienku.

The center also includes on-site labs that give quick test results for ailments such as mono and strep throat. According to the center, the average wait time to see a physician is only 15 – 20 minutes.

"Not only is the urgent care center an alternative to the emergency room, it's a lot faster and a whole lot cheaper, as well," said Pellicano.

 "We fill the gap between primary care physicians and the emergency room, you can get in and get out quickly with a lot less expense than the emergency room," said Pellicano.

The business will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 12:30 p.m. on Dec. 3 and an open house on from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Dec. 4.