St. John Opens Their First Urgent Care Facility

A trip to the doctor's office just got faster. St. John just opened up their first urgent care facility in south Tulsa Friday. News On 6 anchor Omar Villafranca reports doctors hope treating patients

Friday, June 1st 2007, 8:15 pm

By: News On 6

A trip to the doctor's office just got faster. St. John just opened up their first urgent care facility in south Tulsa Friday. News On 6 anchor Omar Villafranca reports doctors hope treating patients at the new center will ease overcrowding in emergency rooms.

Ethan couldn't take the pain in his ear anymore. Instead of rushing him to see a doctor in the ER, his parents brought him to the St. John Urgent Care facility.

"Urgent cares, however, we can see about seven out of 10 things that are seen in an emergency department,â€ said Dr. Jason Lepak of St. John Urgent Care. â€œSo fevers, sore throats, ear aches, strains and sprains of your muscles as well as broken bones and laceration repairs."

The new facility has everything under one roof, from X-ray machines to a lab for blood and urine work. Dr. Lepak says all that in one place is the remedy for a shorter doctor's visit.

"Kind of our goal from the time they check in to the time they leave is ideally we'd like to have them in and out within under an hour. And that's from the time they walk in the door until the time they're leaving," said Lepak.

Turns out, Ethan has an ear infection. Lepak prescribes some antibiotics, and Ethan is on his way to recovery. The process didn't take much time, and doctors say a trip to the urgent care facility won't cost much money.

"There is a substantial cost savings. It may be anywhere from 30 to 50% compared to an emergency department," said Lepak.

A new St. John Urgent Care facility is scheduled to open in Sand Springs next year.

Watch the video: New Urgent Care Facility Opens In South Tulsa