Area Urgent Care Centers Fill a Vital Need for Patients And Relieve Pressure on Emergency Departments.
BUSINESS
Urgent care centers like U. N. I., overseen by Medical Director Gerald Apollon, M. D.,( left), and Meritus Urgent Care( above) fill a vital role in the community.
The Right Care at the Right Time
Area Urgent Care Centers Fill a Vital Need for Patients And Relieve Pressure on Emergency Departments.
by Stacey Campbell + photos by Chris Jackson
According to the Urgent Care Association of America( UCAOA), about 330 urgent care centers were launched nationwide from 2008 – 2009, and another 304 opened 2009 – 2010. Washington County and the surrounding region are no exception to this national medical trend. Several urgent care centers, hospital affiliated and independent alike, have opened recently in the region, pointing to a need for such services locally.
Meritus Health has operated an urgent care office in Hagerstown since 2002 and currently sees patients at two locations: the Sylvania Centre on Pennsylvania Avenue and Robinwood Professional Center.“ We have a responsibility to meet the health needs of our community, day or night. When your doctor’ s office is closed or can’ t fit you in, it’ s important that we offer an alternative,” says Joe Ross, president and CEO of Meritus Health.“ Our urgent care centers are available for non-life-threatening illnesses and injuries, including strains, sprains and sore throats.” In Franklin County, Summit Health opened its Antrim Family and Walk-in Care in Greencastle in Nov. 2010.“ In the past, patients in the southern part of Franklin County didn’ t have a walk-in care center so they relied on family doctors and hospital emergency rooms,” says Summit Health Vice President for Physician Practices Niki Showe. The center treated more than 7,000 patients in its first year.
Two independent urgent care centers— U. N. I. Urgent Care Center and Med- Express Urgent Care— saw a similar patient demand in Hagerstown, and opened offices here in August 2010 and April 2012, respectively.“ We chose Hagerstown because the demographics showed that there was a need for patients who could not be seen in a timely fashion because their primary doctor was too busy,” says U. N. I. Medical Director Gerald Apollon, M. D.,“ or the emergency department had a long waiting period or the existing urgent care presented the same issue.” Dr. Apollon also points out that the need for urgent care centers is growing, as patient populations increase while many aging primary care physicians are retiring without a corresponding number of younger physicians entering the workforce.
WHEN IT’ S URGENT Urgent care centers provide quick access to medical care for non-emergency situations.“[ Urgent care is ] for treatment of minor illnesses and injuries— like cuts, sprains, bee stings, ear infections, flu, fevers and sore throats,” says Niki.“ It’ s for those times when you’ re sick or hurt and you need to see a doctor right away, but your symptoms aren’ t severe enough to require a trip to the ER.” Some urgent care centers, like Antrim Family and Walk-in Care, MedExpress and U. N. I., also offer school and sports physicals. All medical professionals urge patients with symptoms like difficulty
28 March / April 2013 Hagerstown: The Best of Life in Washington County & Beyond