GRAFENWÖHR, Germany — The Army has set up a call center that will allow military personnel and dependents to book medical appointments at any on-post medical facility in Europe.

The phone number is 00800-3762-2273, or 00800-ERMCCARE.

The $700,000 call center, which opened April 26 in Heidelberg, is part of a drive to make it easier for personnel to access medical facilities, Europe Regional Medical Command spokesman Steve Davis said.

"It is a response to concerns expressed to the Surgeon General of the Army about wait times and access to appointments," he said.

The call center has eight staff members and serves Coleman, Katterbach, Illesheim, Mannheim and Heidelberg health clinics. By October it will expand to 36 staff members and serve as the primary booking agency for all ERMC medical treatment facilities, Davis said.

The call center takes routine appointment requests between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding training or federal holidays. Until now, people had to call different phone numbers at different times depending on which clinic they were using.

Tricare nline appointments also are available 24 hours at www.tricareonline.com, Davis said.

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