Hayes Green Beach Memorial Hospital’s announcement last week that it would be moving its Urgent Care facility to 616 Meijer Drive in Charlotte was met with some skepticism. Hospital officials, however, say the move was made with patient convenience in mind.
“The new urgent care location is much more centrally located for all Eaton County residents,” said Patrick Sustrich, Chief Integration Officer for Hayes Green Beach Memorial Hospital. “The decision to move the Urgent Care revolves entirely around consumerism. We are truly trying to make it easier for consumers.”
HGB’s Urgent Care is currently located within the hospital, but will see patients at its new location beginning April 1.
Sustrich said through HGB’s Sparrow affiliation, its goal as a hospital is to have a larger presence throughout Eaton County.
“Our mission is to improve the health and vitality of the region,” Sustrich said. “We want to be a regional hospital and a gateway to health.”
A community concern officials have taken notice of is the fact that the Urgent Care will no longer be housed within the hospital, and HGB’s emergency department. Though Sustrich said, the new location will still offer several services people typically won’t find at other urgent cares.
“Our Urgent Care is unique because it is run by a hospital,” Sustrich said. “We have an opportunity to connect it to hospital services. We will have an x-ray unit out there, which not all urgent cares have. In fact, there isn’t an urgent care in Eaton County with an x-ray.”
In addition to x-ray services, the new urgent care location will offer blood draw services in the near future. Sustrich said both of those services have been provided at the current location, but have always competed for access with the hospital. He said the services at the new urgent care location will be to serve urgent care patients first and foremost.
“We truly are trying to make it more convenient for patients who are visiting our Urgent Care,” said Darice Darling, Director of Marketing and Communications for Hayes Green Beach Memorial Hospital.
Darling said Urgent Care, by design is meant to be an extension of a patient’s primary care physician, and should be used to treat symptoms you would schedule an appointment with your doctor to check out.
“Ideally, patients would start with their primary care physician,” said Darice Darling, Director of Marketing and Communications for Hayes Green Beach Memorial Hospital. “That’s where they have built a relationship and a primary care physician can help point them in the right direction. An Urgent Care is really there for times when your primary care physician isn’t available. It’s an option to get the more urgent care you need and you can’t or don’t want to wait until you can get an appointment.”
Sustrich said a majority of the patients treated at the HGB Urgent Care are there with appropriate symptoms, such as strains and sprains, flu-like symptoms, and upper respiratory infections. HGB Urgent Care’s online reservation system also provides a list of symptoms appropriate for an urgent care visit. The online reservation system, found at hgbhealth.com.
Officials say there are certain symptoms when it is important to head directly to an emergency department, including chest pain, shortness of breath, bleeding that won’t stop with pressure, prolonged vomiting and severe pain.
The new location, which will open Monday, April 1, will be in the same medical office as HGB’s orthopedic and internal medicine practices; across the street from the Charlotte Meijer. The building is adjacent to I-69 and offers improved patient accessibility.
