ALBANY - A new "urgent care" medical office will open in North Albany on Monday.

Samaritan Albany Urgent Care will be located on the third floor of the Samaritan Medical and Diagnostics Center, 400 Hickory St. N.W., just off Highway 20.

"We're currently seeing between 90 and 100 patients a day at our urgent care location in the Geary Street Clinic," said Stephanie Maxon, director of primary care clinics for Samaritan Health Services. "The new urgent care will alleviate some of the traffic at Geary Street while providing more opportunities for patients to use urgent care."

People can seek medical attention at these offices if their doctor is not available or they don't have one.

Samaritan said the new office should be used for acute medical conditions that are not life-threatening, such as sore throats, ear infections, minor cuts and bruises, muscle strains, fractures, or cold and flu symptoms, according to Maxon.

Treatment at urgent care typically costs less than at a hospital emergency room.

Betsy Meidenger of Samaritan Health said urgent care costs about the same as a visit to a physician's office. Cost depends on the complexity of the case and is affected by any additional tests that may be needed, such as X-rays or blood work. She added that for insured patients, urgent care might have a lower copay than emergency care.

Meidenger stressed that urgent care is not an emergency room, and people suffering from chest pain, severe head injuries, burns and other injuries or symptoms that require high-level care should report to the emergency room instead.

Samaritan North Albany Urgent Care will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Samaritan Medical and Diagnostics Center was completed in 2007. It houses a wide array of services. Specialists will be moving to the center by the end of the month.

The new urgent care office adds to the increasing medical presence in North Albany. Earlier this month, The Corvallis Clinic opened a primary care doctors' office in the North Albany Village at 601 Hickory St. N.W.

To reach Samaritan North Albany Urgent Care, call 812-5275.