By Woodrow Polston
MEXICO—Last week MU Health Care opened a new urgent care clinic in Mexico that will provide urgent, but non- life-threatening medical care to area residents seeking medical services.
Mizzou Urgent Care is providing services that include X-rays, lab services, breathing treatments, IV hydration and medications, and services for asthma and respiratory infections, seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on a walk-in basis, according to an MU Health news release. Leading emergency medicine physician with MU Health Care, Dr. Jonathan Heidt, said that there were previously walk-in services at the location.
“Previously at the location, it had walk-in clinic services,” said Heidt. “Some great providers were there at the time, but not the access to as many services through the MU Health system. So, at this point in time, we’ll have, again, on-site X-rays, laboratory services that we can send out, breathing treatments, IV medications, along with our highly trained and new providers,” he added.
The clinic will work in conjunction with the MU Health Care Family Medicine Clinic, as the two separate facilities share the South Clark Medical Building at 3626 Clark Street in Mexico. It will feature former Noble Health Audrain Community Hospital family medicine providers Diane Jacobi, MD, and nurse practitioner Regina Hill. Other former Noble Health providers, nurses and support staff will also be joining the team.
“We are excited MU Health Care is making a commitment to this community,” said Jacobi in a release. “Primary care is extremely important to this region, and I am thrilled to be able to continue to serve my patients right here in Audrain County. Not only will our new facility offer care for the entire family, but we will be able to connect patients with more than 600 MU Health Care doctors in more than 80 specialties working together to ensure patients get the best care possible,” she added.
On March 25, Noble Health suspended all emergency room operations for both the Audrain and Callaway County hospitals then two weeks later the company furloughed 175 employees between the two hospitals. This created an extreme shortage of medical services for the area, which this new clinic will help to alleviate.
“MU Health Care’s intent is to maintain local access to quality health care,” said Michael LeFevre, MD, chair of the MU School of Medicine’s Department of Family and Community Medicine and a physician at MU Health Care. “Our new family medicine clinic in Audrain County will continue to help us fulfill our mission, ensuring citizens in this community receive expert care from doctors they know and trust,” he added.