Medical Mall celebration to highlight health topics
December 27, 2012
Johnston Health is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the opening of the Johnston Medical Mall in Smithfield, the hub of outpatient services for the hospital and home of HealthQuest Fitness and Wellness Center.
To mark this milestone, Johnston Health is hosting a month-long series of health talks by the surgeons, specialists and other medical providers who see patients in the mall or have a connection to services.
Called Health Chats, the presentations will last about an hour and will include a period of questions and answers. Light refreshments will be served.
The series is free and open to the public. However, space is limited. To register for a particular presentation, please visit johnstonhealth.org. Go to the classes and events page, then click on the subheading for Johnston Medical Mall Celebration.
Health Chat Schedule
Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013
7 p.m. Medical Mall Auditorium
"My Aching Knees: Evaluating and Treating Osteoarthritis"
Daniel Vande Lune, MD, University Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine
Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2013
7 p.m. Medical Mall Auditorium
A Panel Discussion: "What You Should Know About Diabetes"
Dennis Koffer, MD, Triangle East Surgery
Manmohan Singh, MD, Singh Medical
Octavio Cieza, MD, Johnston Infectious Disease & Internal Medicine
Mark Bowling, MD, Johnston Medical Associates-Clayton
Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2013
7 p.m. Medical Mall Auditorium
"Keeping Your Family Healthy"
Angela Allen, family nurse practitioner, QuikMed
Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013
11 a.m. Medical Mall Auditorium
"What Every Woman Should Know About Her Heart"
Eric Janis, MD, Smithfield Heart & Vascular
Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013
7 p.m. Medical Mall Auditorium
"What You Need to Know About Cancer"
Russell Anderson, MD, Johnston Hematology & Oncology
Charles Scarantino, MD, Smithfield Radiation Oncology
Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2013
7 p.m. Medical Mall Auditorium
"Walking With Diabetes: How the Disease Can Affect Your Feet"
Chukwuma Ukata, DPM, Advanced Carolina Foot and Ankle Center
A look inside the Medical Mall
What's inside the mall? More than a dozen wellness and outpatient services, businesses and medical practices. In all, the building has 244,163 square feet and sits on 15 acres. (To see an interactive map, go to the Johnston Health website and check out the recent blog about the anniversary.)
How the Medical Mall came to be: A look back
The Johnston Medical Mall is no ordinary space. It's got history, character and purpose. It's also a place where people walk, come to learn, and can grab lunch or a cup of coffee.
Before it was the Medical Mall, the building was a textile mill for 88 years. Burlington Industries owned and operated the site for the longest period of time-56 years before closing in October of 1997.
After the company left town, then-hospital administrator Leland Farnell envisioned the shuttered plant as an affordable space in which to expand services. A few years later, the hospital's board of trustees approved a development plan and, through the County of Johnston, purchased the property in March of 2000 for $2.7 million.
After an extensive $15.8 million renovation, the Medical Mall opened in January of 2003 with HealthQuest Fitness and Wellness Center as its anchor. During the last 10 years, the hospital has gradually up-fitted the mall with outpatient services and medical practices.
Out of public view, much of the interior space of the building is used for Johnston Health support services, including the accounting and billing offices. Below the ground floor, a large basement is the site of the general store, which stocks the many supplies that the health care system needs to operate. And the Early Learning Center, a day care open to the public, is located behind the mall.
The mall is located at 509 N. Bright Leaf Blvd., across the street from Johnston Medical Center-Smithfield.