An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but when illness or injury strikes, having quality care close to home can make all the difference.
That’s where urgent care comes in. AFC—American Family Care—helps bridge the gap between the doctor’s office and the emergency room, providing convenient access to care when it’s needed most.
"This is a better way to reach communities and relieve the pressure placed on emergency rooms and hospital systems," said O’George Chima, CEO of Sarachi and Celestic Health and owner of AFC Urgent Care locations in Roxbury, Phillipsburg, Montgomery and Princeton. "We’re delivering health care in a fast, efficient, and economical manner."
AFC continues to expand across New Jersey and nationwide, reflecting growing demand for convenient, timely, and cost-effective health care.
As CEO, Chima oversees AFC Roxbury’s business and financial operations and strategic vision for expansion. Through Celestic Health, that expansion is bringing medical centers to other parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
His wife, Dr. Sarah Chima, a surgeon and advocate for retail medicine, serves as Medical Director, overseeing compliance and clinical operations across the company’s urgent care centers.
Urgent care centers took on an increasingly visible role during the pandemic as destinations for testing and vaccinations. Today, AFC continues to offer preventive and diagnostic care while preparing for one of its busiest times of year: flu season.
“Last year we were seeing over 80 patients a day at the Roxbury location during peak periods,” Chima said. In just over three and a half years, the location has served more than 40,000 patients.
“The flu is a virus and there are different strains every season,” he said.
Annual flu vaccination remains an important preventive measure, particularly during colder months when respiratory illnesses spread more readily. Vaccines are updated each season to target expected strains and can reduce the risk and severity of illness.
AFC’s services extend beyond seasonal illnesses, offering routine and immigration physicals, allergy treatment, laceration repair and testing for flu, COVID-19, RSV and Lyme disease.
On-site laboratory testing and imaging can also help patients move from evaluation to treatment without additional stops.
“Everything is on site,” he said. “Let’s say a patient needs an X-ray and has to drive another ten miles to an imaging center. They’ll leave more anxious than when they came in.”
When an illness or injury requires a higher level of care or longer-term treatment, AFC collaborates with hospitals and specialists.
“Referrals are dependent on the case,” he said. “A patient comes in with a possible broken ankle. A provider here works to stabilize the fracture and depending upon the severity, we may refer them to an orthopedic practice or a hospital.”
Beyond individual patient care, the center also places a strong focus on occupational medicine and workers’ compensation.
"AFC Roxbury Township is the best place for occupational medicine and workers' compensation, not only in Roxbury Township and the surrounding towns, but in Morris County as a whole,'' said Dr. Chima.
For non-life-threatening conditions, AFC can offer an alternative to a lengthy and potentially costly emergency room visit. The center welcomes patients regardless of insurance status, with self-pay options available.
“This is an efficient way to treat non-life-threatening conditions,” Dr. Chima said. “You’re in and out in just under an hour and can go about your day.”
For AFC, it all comes back to bringing quality health care closer to home—and making sure patients have somewhere to turn when they need it.
AFC Urgent Care Roxbury Township is located at 278 NJ-10 West in Succasunna.