BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Med Center Health broke ground on a new 12,000-square-foot hybrid emergency room and urgent care facility.

The hybrid facility will be the first of its kind in Bowling Green, replacing the current Urgent Care on Lover’s Lane.

Eli Jackson, the board chairperson of Med Center Health, said “It allows patients to get better care, quicker care, at a much more affordable price.”

Physicians will decide if the patient needs emergency or urgent treatment. Patients will only be billed for the level of care they receive.

Chief Nursing Officer of Med Center Health, Katrina Wood said she hopes the hybrid facility will help with confusion on what level of care a patient needs.

“Even being involved in care for over 10 years, sometimes when a family member asks, ‘Where do you think should I go?’ It’s hard to answer. Because there is just a fine line between the levels of care sometimes,” Wood said.

It could save patients both time and money. According to Integrity Urgent Care, an emergency room visit costs $2,600 without insurance, while an urgent care visit costs around $100 to $200.

“It helps them get billed accordingly. Cause, if you’re going to an urgent care, you don’t want to go to an emergency room because you’ll be billed at a much higher rate,” Jackson said.

Med Center Health said it will hire more than 10 people to staff the office.

The new facility will open in spring 2026.