By Lindsay Castleberry
Carilion Clinic is set to open an urgent care center near Stonewall Jackson Hospital in May.
The clinic, to be located on Houston Street, will be open seven days a week, staffed by a physician and nurses, and not require appointments.
The VelocityCare clinic is a direct response to the 2015 Rockbridge Area Community Health Needs Assessment, which was conducted by the Rockbridge Area Free Clinic to “determine barriers and access” to local health care, according to the report.
Survey respondents highlighted the lack of alternatives to the hospital’s emergency room for the treatment of minor injuries and sicknesses.
According to Holly Ostby, community health coordinator for the hospital, the urgent care center has been discussed for years.
“It’s a small community so it takes a while to bring new things here,” Ostby said. “We also don’t have a particularly large population so the truth of the matter is, it’s probably not going to make money, so none of the for-profits are likely to make one around here.”
But after completing the community assessment in August, the hospital’s board of directors identified urgent care as a top priority.
“If you get sick after dinner or on a weekend, you’re kind of out of luck unless you want to go to the emergency department, which you certainly can do. But the problem with that is that it costs significantly more to be treated in an emergency room than it does at an urgent care center,” Ostby said.
That’s because of the extra overhead costs that hospitals must carry to have a fully stocked and prepared emergency department.
Ostby said urgent care centers have grown in popularity in recent years, and the community’s response to the VelocityCare clinic has been overwhelmingly positive.
“The financial gains are pretty significant, and we’re happy to be able to do that for the community,” she said. “Everyone we mention it to is just like ‘oh thank god,’ and everybody is really excited about it.”
The clinic will also provide treatment to visitors from out of town.
“If somebody comes for Parents’ Weekend or for an event at the Horse Center there is always that ability to be taken care of when you have a minor injury,” she said.
Ostby said the clinic should also be less stressful than checking in at an emergency room.
“Coming to the emergency department can be intimidating for a lot of people,” she said. “It’s just a scary place so we try to make it as non-threatening as possible but it’s just the nature of being a hospital. It’s much easier to go into a doctor’s office with a more casual setting.”
But without an alternative, locals have had to use the emergency room for diagnoses typically treated elsewhere. For example, the assessment identified high volumes of patients checking in for dental and oral diseases, and urinary tract infections.
The new clinic will serve patients with minor injuries such as sprains and fractures and be able to conduct X-rays. The center will also treat general sicknesses for patients who cannot get in to see their doctors.
[pullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“If somebody comes for Parents’ Weekend or for an event at the Horse Center there is always that ability to be taken care of when you have a minor injury,” she said.[/pullquote]
The center was originally going to be built inside the hospital to save money.
However, this changed in January when the board realized using the existing space would not be much cheaper than leasing a suite in a nearby building on Houston Street, where several other medical offices are already housed. .
It’s a win-win situation according to Ostby, who said billing will be much easier for the hospital and treatment less expensive for patients.
“It will relieve the situation at the ER where more care may be needed,” said Ellen Smith, a retired nurse who has lived in Lexington for the past 25 years. “I definitely think it is a good idea.”
According to the 2012 Rockbridge Area Community Health Needs Assessment, the median household income in the Rockbridge area is lower than that of Virginia and the rest of the country, making access to affordable health care difficult for some local residents.
Rockbridge County households earn on average $45,000 a year with Buena Vista households bringing in approximately $40,000 and Lexington households just over $30,000. Meanwhile, the median household income in Virginia is almost $65,000 and a little over $53,000 nationally, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
According to the survey, other barriers to accessing local primary care services besides their costs include inconvenience of hours, lack of culturally appropriate services, transportation, few local services and the use of emergency rooms as primary care.
Those who have insurance will be charged a $20 dollar co-payment at VelocityCare.
While the clinic will provide a low-cost alternative to traditional health care and have a physician, physicians’ assistant and several nurses on site, Ostby emphasized the center does not take the place of a primary care physician. It will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
“We are ready to go as soon as the facility is ready,” Ostby said. “It’s going to be a really great thing for the community.”