Patient Review...

A grand opening ceremony and celebration is being held Monday, Dec. 8. There will be free first aid kits and tote bags, while supplies last, and a raffle for a flat screen TV at 1 p.m. Refreshments will be served.

The center provides on-site care for acute, non-life threatening illnesses or injuries for all age groups and no appointment is required. The wait time to see an urgent care provider is typically far less than in many hospital emergency departments, an MD Immediate Care spokesperson said.

Appointments are not necessary; however, an online scheduling option is available for those who desire them.

MD Immediate Care also is providing occupational health services for local employers, including pre-employment physicals and drug and health screenings.

When illness strikes outside of regular office hours, urgent care offers an alternative from waiting for hours in a hospital emergency room. Urgent care does not, however, replace the primary care physician nor does it accommodate a serious emergency medical condition, the spokesman emphasized. The primary focus is on acute medical problems at the lower end of the severity spectrum.

MD Immediate Care provides a broad scope of services caring for men, women and children. Among those services are evaluating conditions such as the common cold, strep throat, lacerations, minor injuries, immunizations like flu shots, as well as performing school and sports physicals and employment related physicals, evaluations and treatment.

The care providers are able to order and obtain on-site, immediate laboratory tests that include but are not limited to tests such as urinalysis, pregnancy test and strep throat evaluation. Some on-site radiology services also are available.

Most insurance plans are accepted; for patients requiring care who do not have insurance, urgent care expenses typically are lower than those of regular ER visits, the center's operators noted.