Health Beat - Summer 2020 - 12

IN THE COMMUNITY

By John Berggren

Walk
Right In
Five urgent care, walk-in
clinics ensure you can get
care when you need it

y now many people and
families have seen the
virtues of walk-in care.
No-appointment-required medical care fills an important need
when life's common ailments pop
up unexpectedly.
That's why Salina Regional
Health Center and its affiliates
have expanded walk-in clinics and
urgent care to meet the growing
demands of the community. While
most primary care providers have
open slots in their daily schedules
to work in sick or unexpected visits, availability doesn't always align
with a patient's schedule, or care
might be needed after the doctor's office closes. When allergies,
rashes, sore throats, coughs, fever,
flu, headaches, vomiting or minor
injuries occur, walk-in care is an
attractive option.
Immediate care isn't new in the
area. StatCare has been serving
patients in Salina since 1986 and
the Urgent Care Clinic was added in
South Salina in 2016. Both locations
offer on-site diagnostics including
lab services and X-rays, immunizations and physicals for school,
sports or work. Both locations
also offer an online check-in tool
at SalinaUrgentCare.com that
allows patients to see wait times
and choose the location that is less
busy. Patients also can reserve their
place and avoid waiting in line.

srhc.com

Nurse practitioner
Keri Kavouras is one
of the providers who
sees patients in the
walk-in clinic at Salina
Pediatric Care.

Having two Salina locations dedicated to urgent care has allowed the
clinics to treat increasing volumes of
patients and, more importantly, treat
patients more efficiently.
"Our door-to-door time, from the
moment a patient walks in the door to
the moment they leave, has averaged
45 minutes or less for more than a year,"
says Lisa Burnett, director of clinical
operations for StatCare and Urgent
Care. "This takes into account all the
busiest, high-traffic times when doctor's
offices are closed."

to 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. yearround. All pediatric patients are
welcome; patients do not have to be
established with a provider of the clinic.
Salina Pediatric Care pediatrician
William Unsderfer, M.D., likes to see
patients repeatedly to establish a continuity of care, but he also recognizes
walk-in care as an important component
of what doctors do. "It's a product of our
society today. When we need something,
we want it now and we want it quick."

Pediatric Clinic Expands
Hours; All Children Welcome

Lindsborg Community Hospital
expanded its Urgent Care Clinic to be
open seven days a week when hospital
renovations were completed last fall.
The service was first offered on weekends beginning in 2011 in order to provide an alternative to patients who were
using the emergency department and
forced to pay a higher copay.

Salina Pediatric Care also expanded
its offering of walk-in services last fall.
The clinic had offered walk-in services
on certain days and times to see more
children during cold and flu season.
Now walk-in services are available
Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m.

Lindsborg, Concordia Add
Urgent Care Hours

http://www.SalinaUrgentCare.com http://www.srhc.com

Health Beat - Summer 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Health Beat - Summer 2020