MOUNT VERNON — A new walk-in, no-appointment medical clinic for non-critical illnesses, conditions and procedures has opened inside the Medicine Shoppe at 812 Coshocton Road.
Amanda Bowers is the administrator of Fast Care, a clinic staffed by Edward Blackburn, M.D., on Monday, and Patricia Conn, nurse practitioner, on Friday. The clinic is closed during the remainder of the week.
“We felt these are the two days when there is more need,” said Bowers. “Lots of doctors are closed on Friday. So we chose Monday and Friday to start with, and we’re working on getting someone here to work five days a week, plus Saturday morning.”
The clinic, said Bowers, isn’t an urgent-care facility because it doesn’t offer X-rays and blood draws. Instead, it’s more of a “walk-in acute clinic” for minor illnesses, she said.
The staff can treat ear aches, sore throats, poison ivy, coughs, minor cuts, bruises and fevers, and also perform physical examinations and check blood pressures.
“We’re not here to step on other doctors’ toes,” said Bowers. “We’re here to try to help them, and we share a copy of our report the next day with the patient’s family doctor.”
The clinic can be reached by calling 397-1401. Hours are Monday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Appointments are not required.
