If a child slides into third base on Friday evening and injures an ankle, it may not be a full-fledged emergency. But immediate medical attention is in order, nonetheless.
This is just one of countless scenarios that may lead to visits to the new comprehensive urgent care center at St. Rose Ambulatory & Surgery Center.
“We are here 24 hours a day, seven days a week for anyone who needs immediate medical care,” said Linda Farthing, St. Rose chief nursing officer. “Parents don’t need to wait until Monday if their child is hurt on Friday.
“Anytime you cannot get into see your doctor because of scheduling problems, or if you don’t have a primary care physician, we will be here,” she added. “St. Rose offers the most convenient and cost-effective access to quality health care in this area.”
St. Rose equipment and services include an MRI, 64-slice CT scanner, pharmacy and in-house orthopedic consultation. In addition, St. Rose’s full-service lab is accredited by the College of American Pathologists – one of only 45 of the 2,200 labs in the state that can make this claim. The lab is available 24 hours a day.
“We want the community to know we are completely different from other urgent care centers they may have heard about,” Farthing noted. “Those that are in drug stores or free-standing clinics are often staffed by mid-level practitioners, instead of physicians, for a limited number of hours.”
St. Rose is the only facility in Barton County that is always staffed by one of five physicians specializing in emergency medicine.
Greg Faimon, M.D., urgent care medical director, is one of the five Central Kansas Medical Center emergency physicians who are remaining at St. Rose. CKMC’s name changed to St. Rose Ambulatory & Surgery Center on May 1.
“We also can still handle most emergencies,” Dr. Faimon said. “We will treat and stabilize before transferring the patient to the most appropriate facility, just as we always have.”
Other urgent care situations may involve fractures, work-related injuries, fevers, lacerations, wounds, abscesses, allergic reactions, nausea, back pain, pneumonia, diarrhea, sinusitis, ear infections, sore throats, sprains/strains, insect bites, upper respiratory infections, migraines, vomiting and mononucleosis.
Dr. Faimon noted that urgent care should not replace regularly scheduled check-ups at the doctor’s office.
“The bottom line is we will provide compassionate and professional care and treatment to everyone,” Dr. Faimon said. “Our nurses here have 186 years of combined experience. They are some of the best I have ever worked with.”
Dr. Faimon also works in the emergency room at Galichia Heart Hospital in Wichita.
After patients are treated and/or stabilized, all their records will be sent to the doctor(s) of their choice, said Mike Rios, the lead registered nurse in urgent care.
“Their family practitioners will be informed of everything we do,” Rios said. “Patients’ records will be transferred so they can have continuity of care. And we can also refer to a physician if they don’t have one but would like to.”
All St. Rose urgent care nurses are certified in Advanced Cardiac Life Support and Advanced Pediatric Life Support. They also have special trauma training.