UIHC to open sixth QuickCare

IOWA CITY - The University of Iowa is opening its sixth walk-in medical clinic in Johnson County on Monday on the east side of Iowa City, just north of Interstate 80.

The new QuickCare facility at 2557 North Dodge St. - like its predecessors - will function as a walk-in medical clinic available to anyone in the community, no appointment necessary. Individuals don't have to be regular UI patients to be seen at a QuickCare clinic, geared toward those who are ill but don't require emergency attention and can't get into a regular doctor.

Laurie Smith - acting director of UI Community Medical Services, an affiliate of UI Health Care that manages and operates all of the university's QuickCare sites - said the newest addition aims to serve residents in northeast Iowa City, Solon, and West Branch.

'We hope that patients will discover how convenient it is to have walk-in care right in their neighborhood for urgent health concerns that don't merit an emergency room visit,” Smith said in a statement.

The North Dodge QuickCare will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the weekends. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants connected to the UI Hospitals and Clinics will staff the center, working under the supervision of a doctor.

Common conditions treated at UI QuickCare sites include flu-like symptoms, colds, allergies, sore throats, ear infections, diarrhea, nausea, urinary tract infections, rashes, and minor injuries. None of the facilities take appointments, but patients can call to check wait times.

Because many QuickCare users don't have primary care physicians, staff also can help patients establish a personal physician for follow-up needs. Smith stressed the clinics are not meant to replace primary care physicians.

'We offer convenient, quality care at times when your usual provider might not be able to see you,” she said.

Fees for QuickCare visits are due on site, and most insurance plans are accepted.

Visits to QuickCare and other off-site UI clinics like those in Muscatine, Riverside, and Sigourney have been increasing annually, rising by more than 8,200 in the 2015 budget year, according to the most recent statists provided to the Board of Regents.

Other QuickCare locations include three in Iowa City - downtown, near Sycamore Mall on the southeast side, and along Mormon Trek Boulevard on the west side. UI Health Care also has QuickCare locations in Coralville, just north of I-80 and the Coral Ridge Mall, and in North Liberty, just east of Highway 965.