Doctors Express is opening its doors in Newark today with hopes to bring high-quality urgent medical care to the Tri-City.

The urgent care center is equipped with the state-of-the-art equipment and occupies 2,440 square feet in a commercial building at Stevenson Station. It's the first of its kind in the Bay Area, center staff say.

Patients can come in and receive care for any medical issue, from a minor fever to more severe conditions such as a broken bone, said Dr. Chao Sun, medical director for the center.

“We want to meet your needs when you need it,” Sun said.

The center is also staffed with two doctors whom come from years of experience, said Thomas Cusumano, managing partner of sales and marketing with Doctors Express Newark.

Sun comes from the Mercy Medical Group in the Sacramento region, where he worked in urgent care and occupational health.

Dr. Mehdi Shefa will serve as a staff doctor at the center. Shefa is a medical doctor who has previously worked for Kaiser.

“Our whole goal is to address patients’ needs. Our goal is to provide high-quality care,” Sun said.

Cusumano added that staff members also hope to provide compassion for patients and their needs. 

Newark’s center will be operated by the two doctors, three medical assistants, three X-ray technologists (who will double as medical assistants), and managing partners Cusumano and Joe Gehman. Gehman is also the center administrator.  

Staff members also speak a variety of languages, including Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Tagalog, Farsi, Thai and Laotian, Cusumano said.

The center includes four exam rooms, a triage room, an X-ray room, a pharmacy, staff offices and a front lobby. It is open to the public from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day.

Doctors Express provides medical care for both the insured and uninsured. However, the center  does not serve those who receive Medi-Cal.

The cost of services for individuals who are uninsured varies based on the medical services, and rates are often discounted for those who are not insured, according to the Doctors Express website.

If people who are insured choose to be treated at the center, any of those records can be given to their primary care provider, staff members said.

While the center is not designed to regularly treat patients with chronic illnesses, the center’s medical physicians said they can provide urgent care that can be resolved more quickly than it might be in a hospital emergency room.

“The nation needs this kind of service,” said Shefa, who added that a trip to an emergency room can take hours. “(Our services) are between a doctor’s office and an emergency room.”

Doctors Express opened its first corporate center approximately four years ago. Newark’s center is a franchise and preparations have lasted two years.

“The City of Newark has been very welcoming to us,” said Cusumano. 

A grand opening celebration was held Thursday night and city dignitaries, including Mayor David Smith, council members Al Nagy and Ana Apodaca, and Newark Chamber of Commerce President Linda Ashley were present.

The Newark center, at 5763 Stevenson Blvd., is one of five Doctors Express centers in California. There are about 40 centers nationwide, Cusumano said.

Appointments are not necessary. To contact the center, call 855-828-CARE or 510-656-5700. Click here to visit the Doctors Express Newark website.