Written by Michael P. Walsh
WEST HAVEN, CT — American Family Care, the city’s newest urgent care center, marked its grand opening with the snip of a blue ribbon Tuesday.
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Using oversize scissors, Mayor Dorinda Borer helped American Family Care franchise owner Muhammad Zaman and Medical Director Dr. Felix Pacheco cut the ribbon to formally open the state-of-the-art AFC West Haven Urgent Care center at 354 Sawmill Road.
The late-afternoon ceremony was organized by the Milford Regional Chamber of Commerce. It included welcoming remarks by Borer and Simon McDonald, the chamber’s director of membership and marketing, as well as remarks by Zaman and Pacheco.
“Access to quality, affordable health care is critical, and language can be a barrier,” Borer said. “A facility like this will provide equitable access to quality, affordable care.”
Also celebrating the event were City Clerk John W. Lewis and Councilman Gary Donovan, D-4, along with chamber President and CEO Michael Moses and Barbara Ronalter, the center’s director of operations and business development.
They were joined by members of the AFC medical team and a delegation of chamber board members, including West Shore Associates of West Haven owner Erin Eberhardt, New Haven Bank of West Haven branch manager Hala Urban and Edward Jones of Milford financial adviser Jay Borelli.
The center is open seven days a week and has walk-in options — urgent care, lab testing, vaccinations — to meet the immediate health care needs of patients of all ages. No appointment is needed.
“Our medical team is staffed with medical professionals who are dedicated to ensuring your health and overall well-being,” said Zaman, who was accompanied by his wife, Anila, and son, Musa, 15.
The center is off Interstate 95’s Exit 42 and has seven exam rooms, a manager’s office, and X-ray and storage space.
It is located in a plaza with an Aspen Dental practice, a Chipotle Mexican Grill and a former Starbucks store.
Starbucks recently opened a new stand-alone store with drive-thru service next door at 340 Sawmill Road, the site of a former Stewart’s All American Grill. The AFC center space was formerly occupied by a T-Mobile store.
Zaman said that although it just opened, the 2,670-square-foot center is already expanding into the vacant Starbucks space. The expansion is expected to take about two months to complete and will bring the center to 4,475 square feet, he said.
Zaman chose West Haven’s bustling Sawmill Road retail corridor for his first AFC Urgent Care center because of the area’s dense population and high visibility from I-95.
“We are very grateful Mr. Zaman chose his first location to be in West Haven,” Borer said.
The West Haven center joins 17 other franchise-owned AFC urgent care centers in Connecticut.
PHOTO CAPTION — Holding oversize scissors, West Haven Mayor Dorinda Borer cuts the ribbon with American Family Care franchise owner Muhammad Zaman, center left, and Medical Director Dr. Felix Pacheco, center right, to celebrate the grand opening of West Haven’s new AFC Urgent Care center at 354 Sawmill Road on Tuesday. With them are, from left, West Haven Councilman Gary Donovan, D-4; Barbara Ronalter, the center’s director of operations and business development; Zaman’s son, Musa, 15, and wife, Anila; City Clerk John W. Lewis; and Simon McDonald, the director of membership and marketing at the Milford Regional Chamber of Commerce. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)
