State-of-the-Art Medical Center Halfway Home

Southern N.H. Internal Medicine Associates spent the last year away from Windham after moving out of its crammed, 2,000-square-foot office.

But Windham resident and company president Dr. Edmund Schiavoni, Jr. said that he always planned on returning to his town.

The problem was that the space he looked at, Castle Commons, was an 11,400-square-foot location.

"It would have been way too big for us" Schiavoni said.

According to Chris Nickerson, owners' representative for Castle Commons, working with other practices was important.

Derry Medical Center, which already collaborates with SNHIMA at Overlook Medical Park in Derry, was brought in to fill some of the space in Windham. With it comes Derry Imaging Center, a National medical lab and a multi-specialty suite.

The construction at Castle Commons is just over halfway complete, and Schiavoni couldn't keep the smile off of his face.

"This is going to finish out beautifully with high-end, top-notch designs," he said.

About half-a-dozen doctors walked through the construction with Nickerson on Wednesday, which is currently two weeks away from being painted. Nickerson said that the drywall phase was just completed.

Shared resources in the facility will be apparent the moment a patient walks into the building, with a communal waiting room featuring areas for each practice.

Schiavoni also emphasized the high-end quality of the facility by explaining that they will be entirely electronic.

According to Susan Chadwick, Director of Marketing and Public Relations for Derry Medical Center, her company was among the first in the state to go completely electronic, which took place eight years ago.

Schiavoni said that getting to that point is a daunting task.

"It's a huge investment to bring the practice up electronically," he said. "Less than 50 percent of practices are entirely electronic."

Schiavoni joked that SNHIMA let Derry Medical Center work the bugs out on going paperless before they decided to do the same.

Patients will also be able to make appointments and access other medical information online, something that Derry Medical Center currently offers.

As for the new location, Schiavoni is extremely pleased with the proximity to both Salem and Interstate 93, and also expects that foot traffic will be improved with Soleil Salon & Spa recently opening next door.

Resumes have also been flying in, and once SNHIMA is opened in Windham, additional doctors will eventually be hired in Derry. The veteran doctors will come to the Castle Commons offices.

Schiavoni will make the short commute once a week to operate out of the Windham location.

Of course, that commute wont happen until the construction is complete, but Schiavoni is pleased to watch the construction unfold each day.

"We started out with some rough drawings, (and) it's very exciting to see what's on paper suddenly materialize in real life," he said.

Both SNHIMA and Derry Medical Center are currently booking for October, with a major opening planned for Oct. 8.