Pearl City Urgent Care Announces New Extended Hours to Handle Increased Demand for Immediate Medical Care:
Pearl City, Hawaii (January 9, 2012) – The recent closings of the Hawaii Medical Centers (HMC East and HMC West) have resulted in longer waits for many as emergency rooms are crowded and stressed to the limit. Pearl City Urgent Care has been busy taking care of people who need immediate medical care and are extending their hours of operation to help with this crisis.
Donna Schmidt, CEO of Pearl City Urgent Careannounces: "Starting Monday, January 9, 2012, Pearl City Urgent Care's new expanded hours are: Monday through Friday: 7 AM to 7 PM; Saturday and Sunday: 8 AM to 6 PM. Walk-ins are welcome."
Dr. Melanie Kelly, Board Certified, Internal Emergency Medicine, is Partner and Medical Director of Pearl City Urgent Care. She shares some stories of people who have recently been treated: "A woman recently came in with an 8-month old baby. She said she had been waiting in the emergency room for 5 hours and was very relieved when we could see the baby right away. An HMC former employee has seen us three times since losing her insurance; twice for herself for pre-employment physicals, and once for her son who had a broken clavicle. Another patient had been referred for a first-available appointment with a dermatologist, which unfortunately was two months out. He came in last Friday was successfully treated right away.
"People are very grateful we are here. Last Thursday, a visiting police officer from California came in with a bad skin infection. He was so impressed with our service, efficiency and reasonable pricing, that he treated the entire staff to pizza!"
Dr. Kelly adds, "With the closure of the local hospitals and emergency departments, the remaining ERs are overcrowded and stressed to their limits. Area physicians' offices are also busy as this is the cold, flu, and asthma attack season. We are striving to serve the community, especially in this time of need for immediate medical care. We are committed to making medical care more convenient, faster and less expensive without sacrificing the quality of care."
Pearl City Urgent Care has established a Friends and Family Discount for employees of HMC who have lost their jobs and may have lost their health insurance. Donna Schmidt states: "We have a set fee schedule that is affordable for basic, intermediate and complex visits. We would like to assist with meeting the medical care needs of the community in any way possible, including HMC employees who have lost their jobs because of the hospital closings."
The locally-owned and operated 2347 square foot Urgent Care Center is located at 1245 Kuala Street, Pearl City. Pearl City Urgent Care provides a quick and affordable option for people needing immediate medical care and treatment for common or everyday health problems seven days a week – no appointments are necessary. It is a full service Urgent Care Center and has state-of-the-art technology to keep in touch with patients' primary care physicians. It also has a digital x-ray suite and treatment room. Along with immediate medical care, it offers drug testing, lab tests and provides basic services such as Sports and School Physicals, Pre-Employment Physicals, Occupational Health and Workers Comp.
Patients at Pearl City Urgent Care can avoid the crowded waiting rooms and long waits for care. Schmidt explains, "Our goal is to get people in and out comfortably and quickly. The moment people walk in the door, they'll notice that this is not the typical emergency or lab waiting room. We have created a comfortable setting to help patients feel embraced in a healing environment – their stress levels lessen and they feel more at ease as our professional staff guides them to get the immediate medical care they need. The difference is the way we care."
Pearl City Urgent Care is a member of Urgent Care Association of America.
For more information, visit www.PearlCityUrgentCare.com
Pearl City Urgent Care: 808-456-2273
Donna Schmidt, LCSW, has been dedicated to helping people throughout her career. Since 1991 she has been providing medical social services to people in need, most recently providing medical case management services to frail elders and disabled individuals through Case Management, Inc., (CMI) an Oahu-based company that provides comprehensive case management services and foster home care to those in need of long term care. She is a called-upon expert on long term care to the media and the Hawaii State Legislature.
Dr. Melanie Kelly has been meeting the medical needs in the community for over 25 years. With a focus on service, she has made significant contributions to all aspects of the health care continuum in Hawaii. Dr. Kelly worked as an emergency urgent care physician at Kaiser Medical Center and the Kuakini Medical Center. She is currently employed as a medical director and physician at the Hawaii Medical Centers and teaches at the University Of Hawaii School Of Medicine.
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]