A new clinic operating as a division of Decatur County Memorial Hospital (DCMH) hopes to offer added convenience and reduce emergency room visits for local residents.

DCMH’s new Well Clinic is intended to offer the same medical care as its home facility in an “extended hours” office located in the same building as Tree City Medical Partners. The new clinic’s entrance is located near the rear of the Tree City Medical Partners building, on the same side of Michigan Avenue as Expressions Florists and Gifts. The building’s physical address is 955 North Michigan.
Well Clinic Director John Wilson said the new DCMH division will serve as a convenient alternative to patients unable to schedule appointments with their regular primary care physicians. He cautioned that the new clinic is not intended to become a replacement for one’s regular doctor, nor is it an alternative to the DCMH Emergency Room.

Instead, the Well Clinic offers treatment for minor injuries, allergies, colds and infections, and even skin conditions such as eczema or sunburn. Blood pressure checks can be completed on-site as can certain lab work, but the goal of the clinic is to complement a patient’s regular doctor instead of taking his or her place.

“It’s an extension of your physician,” Wilson said of the clinic’s purpose.

Some common medical maladies of a non-emergency nature previously required a trip to DCMH’s ER, which resulted in bills far higher than those of a typical doctor’s office visit. Wilson and Well Clinic Nurse Practitioner Jill Koors said the cost of visiting the new clinic is the same as a scheduled DCMH doctor’s office visit.

And although the level of medical care received during a Well Clinic visit will be equal to that of visiting one’s regular doctor, Wilson said there are a few medical services the new clinic is not able to offer. Among those are patient physicals, X-rays and the management of chronic diseases and disorders. Those services are better handled through a primary care doctor who can closely monitor such situations, Wilson and Koors said. In the case of physical examinations required for work, school or sports, or the need for X-rays or other imaging services, Well Clinic staff can help make primary care referrals.

Wilson and Koors are enthusiastic at the prospect of opening the Well Clinic’s doors to the general public as is DCMH Marketing and Communications Manager Lynzee McDowell.

“We’re not sure what to expect,” McDowell said with a laugh. “But we’re excited to give the community something they need. It’s an exciting thing.”

Wilson said he and other staff have been working on the immediate care clinic since June. McDowell said the hospital has informed patients of the clinic’s future opening via mailed materials as well as through its Facebook page.

The feedback from the Decatur County community has been extremely positive, McDowell said.

“We were surprised at how many people felt this was a need,” Wilson added.

The Well Clinic offers walk-ins from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to noon on weekends. Appointments may also be made, Wilson said. The clinic will be closed on holidays.

Still a few days from officially opening its doors to the public, the work of the clinic has already paid positive dividends for one local mother.

Koors said four children of a local woman unable to schedule an appointment with her family doctor recently received care at the new clinic. The nurse practitioner said the clinic offers “improved access for healthcare” to residents of Decatur County.

Appointments at the new DCMH Well Clinic can be made by calling 812-663-2245. More information is available by visiting www.dcmh.net/wellclinic

Written by the Greensburg Daily News