Planning Commission eases pain of doctor shortage

Alleviating some of the difficulties regarding recruitment of primary care physicians to Sonoma Valley, the Sonoma City Planning Commission approved the use permit application of the Prima Medical Group at its meeting Thursday.
Based in Marin County, Prima is a physician-owned and -operated group whose purpose is to provide office space, medical equipment, information technology and other support services to new or relocating primary care physicians, so they can avoid the initial burden of up-front expenses while building their medical practices. Together with staff from the Sonoma Valley Hospital, Prima had been scouting local properties for a space that would support at least four primary care physicians and their staff.
The commission gave Prima permission to occupy 6,000 square feet within a vacant two-story office building known as the Old Bowl Center at 19310-19312 Sonoma Highway. The project architect Vic Conforti told the commission that the exterior shell of the building has been recently completed and that the space is ready for tenant improvements. Once the few minor parking issues were resolved, commissioner Randy Cook captured the commission’s sentiment, “Oh, why not?”
Prima has already identified three primary care physicians for the site: Brian Sebastian, M.D., Subhash Mishra, M.D., and Diane Weissman M.D.