Trimark Physicians Group is excited to announce that we are opening an urgent care clinic later this summer. The development of Trimark Urgent Care is in response to a growing need for a non-emergent health care during evenings and weekends.
We are very excited about this new opportunity to serve Fort Dodge and the surrounding communities. Although two Trimark clinics, Trimark Family Practice Associates and Trimark Pediatrics currently offer extended hours, it has become evident over the past few years that our community would greatly benefit from a clinic with night, weekend and holiday hours.
While many of the particulars of the clinic are still being worked out, the clinic will be located down the hall from Trinity Regional Medical Center's Emergency Room, in Trinity's former Outpatient area. The urgent care receptionist will sit in the windowed area inside Entrance C to welcome patients. The clinic will be open seven days a week, including holidays.
Trimark Urgent Care will be staffed with advanced registered nurse practitioners. Ann Feser is an ARNP and has been working with Trimark leadership to coordinate and develop the urgent care clinic. Fester will work in Trimark Urgent Care once it opens. Currently, she is doing Trimark orientations in various Trimark clinics. Previously, Feser worked as a nurse in Trinity's Emergency Room. Trinity Health Systems' Provider Recruitment Department is also working to recruit additional nurse practitioners to provide care at Trimark Urgent Care.
By offering urgent care services, people that are not able to get to their primary care provider during regular office hours will have an option other than a trip to the Emergency Room. Parents of young children who have previously used the Emergency Room during an evening or on a holiday for a non-emergent illness are excited about the addition of an urgent care clinic to the services provided by Trimark.
Patients will continue to have the option of using Trinity's Emergency Room for care. However it is our hope that with education as to which situations are more appropriate for urgent care verses the Emergency Room, more non-emergent patients will choose Trimark Urgent Care (see the sidebar for examples). While the Emergency Room welcomes all patients, when true "emergency" patients come to the Emergency Room, patients with non-life-threatening issues are required to wait until emergency patients are stabilized.
Fact Box
Choosing a care option
Reasons to use an urgent care clinic include but not limited to:
Upper respiratory problems (sore throat, earache, sinus symptoms)
Allergy complaints, conjunctivitis, stye
Minor skin infections (rashes, moles, cold sores, warts, impetigo, ringworm)
Minor burns
Insect bites, minor animal or human bites
Minor complaints from car accident (without loss of consciousness)
Urinary tract infections
Minor gynecological problems
Minor lacerations, contusions, abrasions
Simple musculoskeletal complaints
Routine screening if not established with a primary care provider (tetanus update, immunizations, vaccines, brief employment physicals)
Headache-mild or established migraine diagnosis with no acute changes
Bladder infections
Recent onset nausea/diarrhea
Reasons to use an emergency room include but not limited to:
Difficulty in breathing
Unconsciousness
Severe bleeding
Poisoning
Chest pain or pressure
Moderate to severe burns
Convulsions or seizures
Serious head, neck or back injury
Loss of limb or severe broken bone
Another way Trimark is working to provide convenient care to its patients is by posting wait times for Trimark Urgent Care on its website - www.trimark.org. This feature will be available when the clinic opens. Trinity Regional Medical Center's Emergency Room will begin publishing its wait times on Trinity's website as well. The wait times will be approximate and will reflect the duration of time for people in the waiting room prior to being seen by a medical professional.
Trimark Physicians Group has provided quality care for the Fort Dodge and northwest central Iowa region for more than 20 years, and is excited for this new opportunity to serve our community. Watch for more details about Trimark Urgent Care in the coming weeks.
Pam Halvorson is chief operating officer of Trimark Physicians Group.