St. John's opens nothwest multipurpose care facility

North-side Springfield residents and employers now have the option of urgent care, occupational medicine, physical and occupational therapy, and cardiac rehab in their own neighborhood. St. John's Northwest Health Services opened July 22 at 2120 W. Kearney St.

"The community was requesting it. There are a lot of people who don't want to drive to the south side of town to get the services. Why drive 25 minutes when you can drive five?" said Susan Blackard, RN, vice president of Hammons Heart Institute and Corporate Health.

The 12,000-foot facility has a staff of about 30, Blackard said. The facility can serve 125 to 145 patients per day plus urgent care patients, said Kevin Rash, PT, director of Northwest Health Services. The hours are 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday through Friday, and noon-8 p.m. on weekends.

Cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation, diabetic education and stress management classes are all part of what is or will soon be offered at the location. Northwest Health Services does pre- and post-employment screenings, full physicals including hearing and vision tests, and drug screenings.

"There's (no facility) like it in town that has all these services under the same roof," Blackard said. "If a patient needs to see an occupational physician, they usually have to go to another place to see their physical therapist. This facility is designed to save the employee and employer time because it's all self-contained."

Urgent care is where to go when you can't get into see your own doctor, or if something happens after hours, said Blackard. She said major emergencies should still be dealt with in the emergency room, but urgent care is for such things as "colds, bumps, scrapes those things you didn't schedule." Nor is it meant for regular physicals or services your primary physician offers.

A major part of the building is devoted to physical and occupational therapy. The gym-like therapy area is complete with a big-screen television. An occupational therapist serves those with hand and upper extremity injuries; a physical therapist covers the rest, Rash said.

"The therapists do job-site analysis to get workers back to their job. Sometimes it's making sure workers have a modified duty, and we'll go on-site to do that," Rash said.

Jim Jordan, MD, is an occupational medicine specialist and sees workers' compensation patients at the clinic.

Occupational medicine and occupational therapy are the key to the facility, Rash said.

"It pretty much is the facility. The whole basis of building this facility was driven by the occupational medicine and the therapy in conjunction with knowing that if we built an occupational medicine clinic, we needed to establish urgent care for not only the employers that we're serving, but the residents of the north side," Rash said.

Another unique feature is an area behind the building where workers can simulate their jobs. A loading dock, ladder, sand-filled scoop pit and telephone pole are available for job simulations.

"It's a new area that St. John's, as a health system, is taking on," Rash said. "The development for increased medical awareness for the north side is just exciting in itself.

" Every day you've got a different challenge to make sure everything is covered for our clients or patients. So you have to be creative and adapt to their needs."