The only medical clinic in Eldridge has nearly doubled in size. The newly completed expansion of the MercyOne Genesis Eldridge Family Medicine at 301 N. 4th Ave., will officially open on Friday, Feb. 13.
The Eldridge location, which includes MercyOne Genesis Eldridge Family Medicine, Convenient Care, Imaging & Laboratory, has experienced significant growth over the last 11 years and is projected to continue growing.
The $8-million project, which kicked off with a groundbreaking ceremony in December 2024, is ready to start serving the Eldridge community. The general contractor for the expansion was Build to Suit.
They added 7,669 square feet with 13 new exam rooms, new offices, two procedure rooms, a conference room, an expanded laboratory, and a larger convenient care area. The second phase of construction will begin this summer and will include Convenient Care, Imaging and Laboratory.
“The expansion has provided the opportunity to grow primary care services,” said Beau Dexter, Regional VP Operations, MercyOne Medical Group. “We know that the community is growing. We need to make sure that we're growing as well. We successfully recruited two new physicians and are actively recruiting two additional. So we identified an opportunity to keep care local, which is the whole point of MercyOne Medical Group and are excited that we're able to expand.
"We're doubling the size of the clinic, having additional family practice, convenient care, walk in clinic as well as laboratory and imaging services here, all on site.”
The six existing physicians at the clinic saw a 10% increase in patients from 2024 to 2025, Dexter noted, with much of that growth due to increased population in the area, and need for convenience. Eldridge’s estimated population in 2025 was 6,967.
In the past year, MercyOne Genesis Eldridge Family Medicine cared for over 45,140 patients, including 20,627 family practice visits and 7,219 Convenient Care visits.
The Convenient Care is available weekdays from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and 9 to 4 on Saturdays and Sundays. The existing clinic also will be renovated this summer, with no down time for patients, Dexter said.
Dr. Michael Persson, a MercyOne Genesis family practice physician, said the expansion meets the growing need for more primary care doctors.
“How many times do you call to find a provider? And it takes forever to get in,” he said Wednesday. “And if you can get into your provider closer to home, this would be great. In the Eldridge area, as Beau already highlighted, we have two new providers starting here and one's already here. Dr. Dolmetsch, and his wife is coming this fall, which is a really good thing. And she does, in addition to family practice, she does her own obstetrics.
"So that'll be a new added benefit to the Eldridge community to have family practice and obstetric care in Eldridge.”
Two new physicians have been hired, and recruitment is underway for two additional positions. Troy Dolmetsch, DO, started this past summer, and his wife, McKenna Sexton, DO, will start seeing patients this fall. MercyOne Genesis has also hired additional clinical and clerical staff to support growth.
The expansion expects to be able to serve over 5,000 additional patients a year, Dr. Persson said.
“If you're evaluating somebody for an acute problem and you're, I'd really love to have a blood count display if this patient is really sick and is somebody I can treat here or do I have to get them in an ambulance and send them to the hospital to have on-site laboratory and then an on-site image to say, is this finger broke or is it not broke? It really changes how you manage patients versus having to ship them into Davenport to get those labs and those imaging studies done,” he said. “Having them done here is much easier.”
If someone isn’t sure whether they need urgent care or emergency care, they should call their primary doctor or 911, or come directly to Convenient Care, Dr. Persson said. Eldridge has offered Convenient Care for four years now.
Dr. Dolmetsch (who began in Eldridge this past August) is a 2022 graduate of Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine, and in 2025 completed his residency at MercyOne Genesis Family Medicine Residency Davenport.
“I think it shows our commitment to the community,” he said Wednesday of the clinic expansion. “We recognize that it's growing and we want to serve the healthcare needs of this community and put in state-of-the-art facilities and really help the doctors and providers provide the best health care for people in this community.”
In addition to more doctors, the expansion improves quality of care, Dr. Dolmetsch said.
“Sometimes, just having more time to spend with your patients can allow you to do that. And so I think it is kind of that perfect balance of quality and improving access,” he said.
“I actually have patients at Grand Haven just down the street and they'll walk themselves or sometimes they'll take a wheelchair, right to our office. And you can't overstate the convenience, but you know, just what that does for them to allow them to access their health care and do it in a way that's easy for them to do,” Dr. Dolmetsch said. “I think that is really important…I think it does show the investment in this area and allows that small town, local community feeling to have your doctor in the same community that you live in.”
His wife is completing a fellowship in women's health and obstetrics at MercyOne Genesis East Hospital. After moving to Eldridge by this fall, she’ll also spend time with Genesis obstetrics at their hospital office, as well as the one at Bettendorf. They currently have two children, including a three-month-old.
“MercyOne Genesis has been an integral part of Eldridge's fabric for many years,” Eldridge Mayor Scott Campbell said. “The health services provided to our residents are invaluable and deeply appreciated, and we don't take them for granted. We've watched the clinic's expansion come to life over the past year and look forward to its opening, as well as the expanded services that will be provided in the years to come.”
To find a primary care physician in the clinic, call 563-421-DOCS. For more information on MercyOne Genesis Eldridge Family Medicine, click HERE.
This story was produced by WVIK, Quad Cities NPR. We rely on financial support from our listeners and readers to provide coverage of the issues that matter to the Quad Cities region and beyond. As someone who values the content created by WVIK's news department, please consider making a financial contribution to support our work.
