Community Medical opens walk-in clinic where patients set their own appointments

A new medical clinic offering non-emergency care opened its doors this week in Tremper's Plaza, the first walk-in clinic to land in the city's underserved Midtown neighborhood.

And while there's nothing new about the clinic's walk-in model for non-emergency care, allowing patients to arrange their own appointment to meet their own schedule may be unique to the business.

“Our goal is to have convenient access – we want patients to avoid the waiting room with online check-in,” said Francienne Buxton, the clinic's nurse practitioner. “They have the option of going to the website to see what the waiting time is, and they're able to save their spot. Instead of waiting for their turn, they can use their time wisely rather than spending it in the waiting room.”

Managed by Community Medical Center, the Community FirstCare clinic opened its doors on Monday in a retail space formerly occupied by Outdoor Sports in Tremper's Plaza.

The Midtown location is situated on Mountain Line's 15-minute bus route and sits next door to the pharmacy at Albertsons.

“In that area, it's the only accessible urgent care clinic in the central area,” said Buxton. “We have a pharmacy next door and that makes it more convenient.”

Buxton said the clinic was established on the premise of accessibility, giving patients the power to arrange their own visit when it's most convenient to do so. If an appointment is made and the clinic falls behind its schedule, the patient receives a text message noting the delay.

The clinic treats everything from ankle sprains to sore throats and the flu.

“We pretty much specialize in non-emergency medical care,” said Buxton. “We do minor procedures, like lacerations and sutures. We provide flu and pneumonia shots and do DOT and sports physicals.”

For many, Buxton said, the clinic provides a more affordable approach to non-emergency care. The web-based check-in system also allows customers to pay their bill on online.

“We're using urgent care to treat minor injuries and to avoid people having to go to the emergency room for non-emergent cases,” said Buxton. “It cuts down on the use of the emergency room if they're not that emergent.”

The clinic is open seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday-Friday and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.