Portneuf Medical Center opens new urgent care facility
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POCATELLO — Southeast Idaho’s regional hospital has expanded its capacity to care for the community.
Jordan Herget, CEO of Portneuf Medical Center, cut the ribbon on October 26 for the hospital’s new urgent care. Portneuf Health Now provides walk-in care and treatments for health issues that aren’t an emergency.
“We’re just so excited to be able to now provide this care to the community here,” Herget said.
The urgent care is located in the Portneuf Health Plaza at 2850 Olympus Drive and the urgent care shares a building with the plaza’s primary care clinic.
Portneuf Health Now opened in mid-September, providing people with assistance with minor injuries, respiratory illness symptoms and much more.
Herget said that having this urgent care completes the Portneuf Health Plaza.
“This is kind of the last piece coming into this facility, and it’s part of our overall primary care and access point strategy,” Herget said. “There’s a lot of need for that in this area. It’s growing.”
Daniel Snell, chief medical officer of Portneuf Medical Center, said outpatient care is expanding, and introducing this urgent care helps Portneuf meet the medical needs of the community.
“Having a place where patients can come get the care that they need without needing the full strength of the hospital, that’s going to be a better thing for our patients,” Snell said.
Portneuf Health Now is staffed by three nurse practitioners who are nurses who have advanced clinical education and can perform many of the same duties as a physician. The urgent care is also supported by the doctors in the primary care clinic if there are any issues that require a physician.
The urgent care has six patient rooms, one with a gurney in case someone needs to be transferred or rolled to the radiology room to be X-rayed.
Patients who have a medical issue that needs to be addressed at a hospital can be transported to PMC by ambulance or by their own vehicle if they’re capable of transporting themselves. If this happens, the doctor in the emergency room will be informed of the situation so they’re not surprised by the patient’s arrival.
Snell encouraged people who need medical care not to hesitate to come and get the care that they need.
“If there’s something wrong, or if you think there’s something wrong… get care. We have so much to offer people,” Snell said.
Herget spoke to the ability of the staff of Portneuf Health Now, and thanked them for the work that they do.
“All of our staff, everyone from nurses to the registration team, really provide stellar care here,” Herget said.