A LaGrange building that sat vacant since September 2008 finally has a new tenant ready to move into a large portion of the facility.

Emory Clark-Holder Clinic is turning 309 Church St., the former post office and headquarters for Multicast Media Networks, into a live switchboard - making waiting on the phone for a doctor’s appointment a little less time-consuming.

Patients’ calls for an appointment won’t go straight to the doctor’s personal receptionist but instead will be routed to the building on the block across from the clinic, where a designated assistant will set up the appointment time.

It’s designed to save time and allow the doctors’ receptionists to take care of those coming in for appointments and those looking for an immediate appointment.

“It’s like a giant switchboard,” said Martha Allred, the clinic’s director of human resources. “That’ll make the appointment-making process a lot more efficient,” while taking some strain away from office receptionists.

The clinic is leasing the front of the building from the city of LaGrange, although LGTV will still be housed in the back. The city acquired the building after the post office’s move to Calumet Center Road.

Multicast Media Networks housed its headquarters in the building for seven years before moving to Atlanta in 2008.

Walls were removed from where the TV studio was to give clinic employees some extra space.

We’ll be “doing our business services up there probably some time in October or November,” Allred said. “… We’re anticipating starting to move some folks late October. We don’t even have our furniture up there.”

The location also will house the clinic’s billing and pre-certification departments, so customer charges and insurance approvals will be handled at the Church Street property.

There still are some technical bugs to work out, but the clinic wants the area to be up and operational by Thanksgiving.

“It was just a really great opportunity for us to get space close by,” Allred said.

The additional space from moving paperwork to the Church Street building and lifting some work off office receptionists should help free up departments, especially those being swamped by the current flu season.

“Right now, with all the sickness, it’s kind of packed in our family practice department,” Allred said. “It’ll really enhance the patient experience.”

Trey Wood can be reached at twood@lagrangenews. com or (706) 884-7311, Ext. 228.