Three years ago Dr. Eric Tunell and his wife Kimberly moved their family to the Gila Valley is search of a better quality of life. On April 2, he opened an urgent care clinic called First Care to bring a better quality of life to people is the Gila Valley.

Tunell said the Gila Valley is a great community. She said it is beautiful and the people are very friendly.

First Care is a walk-in clinic that cares for acute medical needs, such as broken bones, cuts, earaches, bronchitis or pneumonia. The clinic does not handle life or death situations.

Christi Moore, a physician’s assistant, and Dr. Eric Tunnel make up the medical staff at First Care, an urgent care clinic located in the Safeway Plaza in Safford. Photo by Keri Lunt

Tunell said the clinic is for people who don’t have a primary doctor, such as college students or construction workers who are from out of town. The clinic is also for people who don’t necessarily need to go to the emergency room but need to be seen in the evening.

Dr. Tunell is out of the clinic on Mondays and Tuesdays, when he is in Sierra Vista at another one of his clinics. When he is out, Christi Moore, a physicians assistant at the Mount Graham Regional Hospital, takes over.

Moore studied at the University of North Dakota medical school and has been a physicians assistant for 12 years.

Dr. Tunell received his bachelor’s in chemistry and a doctorate’s degree in medicine at the West University in California and he received his post doctorate in residency and emergency medicine in Texas. He has been practicing medicine since 1985.

First Care takes most insurance and offers a discount if the patient pays with cash.

First Care is located in the Safeway Plaza. It is open Monday through Friday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. To contact First Care call 348-0000.