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A celebration is scheduled in Buckingham County this weekend, as Centra is opening a family medicine clinic.

CMG Buckingham is located at 65 Brickyard Drive, Dillwyn. The clinic will officially open and start seeing patients on Monday, Nov. 20 with a registered nurse at the facility. The plan is to have a doctor of medicine also at the location in 2024. To let people have a chance to see the facility, an open house will be held this coming Saturday, Nov. 11. 

If that address sounds familiar, there’s a good reason. This was formerly the location for Buckingham Family Medicine, Sentara’s primary care clinic, before the company shut that down in 2021. The building and land was donated to the county, which in turn gave it to Centra.

In exchange, Centra at the time promised to invest $750,000 to get it up and running again. Two years later, the doors are ready to open again, at a time when more medical facilities are needed in Buckingham. Out of Virginia’s 133 counties, Buckingham ranked 124th in health factors, according to the latest Community Health Assessments. 

The Centra Medical Group Buckingham clinic will include four exam rooms, one procedure room and will have lab and x-ray services on site. There will be a physician and a nurse practitioner operating out of the building. 

A need for doctors

Buckingham County has received a true but unfortunate reputation for being a “desert” when it comes to medical care. Regular check-ups and timely screenings are important in maintaining overall health. Now, instead of driving into Farmville, Lynchburg, Charlottesville or anywhere else, Buckingham residents will have access to primary care services in the county.

According to Lauren Byrum, communications and public relations specialist with Centra, with grocery stores and other necessities located in the county, it’s important to have medical care close to home too. Other Centra officials echoed that. 

“Access to a primary care provider is the cornerstone of a healthy community,” said Giuliana Allega, executive medical director of Centra’s Ambulatory Care Service Line. “With the opening of CMG Buckingham, we are bringing these critical services closer to home, ensuring that residents of Buckingham can enjoy the benefits of timely, comprehensive and patient-centered healthcare.”

Saturday’s celebration at Centra

To celebrate Centra coming to Buckingham, there will be a grand opening celebration this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. This event will start with a ribbon cutting with members from Centra present to speak on the new facility and their excitement to be in Buckingham. Along with the ribbon cutting, residents can explore the new facility and enjoy family-friendly activities. There will also be a wellness tent and food provided by the Sugar Magnolia Food Truck.

“It sounds like it will be a really good time,” said Byrum. “We are excited to be there and want to be a partner in the community in an accessible way.”

Anyone interested can call 434-414-1021 after Monday, Nov. 13, to become a patient at CMG Buckingham or learn more about its services.