When Care Can’t Wait
By: Jessica Park
Even when we take good preventive care of ourselves, unexpected injuries and illnesses will happen. Fortunately, Boone Hospital Center and Boone Medical Group are here for you and your family, with many options for same-day medical care, including primary care providers, convenient care and our hospital’s emergency department.
Emergency Department
Boone Hospital Center’s Emergency Department physicians, nurses and staff are available all day, every day, with 16 patient rooms.
Our emergency department has immediate access to our medical staff, advanced screening technologies and surgical services.
Medical emergencies —don’t take chances!
Go to an Emergency Department if you experience:
• Symptoms of a stroke: loss of balance or coordination, sudden loss of vision or double vision, facial droop on one side, sudden numbness or weakness on one side of the body, speech difficulties
• Chest pain
• Difficulty breathing
• Severe abdominal pain
• Loss of consciousness
• Pregnancy complications
• Fever in infants less than 3 months old
• Severe injuries
• Compound fractures
• Suspected poisoning or overdose
• Knife or gunshot wounds
• Suicidal thoughts
Call 911. EMTs communicate with our emergency department and are trained to help you or a loved one in emergency medical situations before you get to the hospital.
Convenient Care
Clinics like Boone Convenient Care treat patients on a walk-in basis for intermittent acute problems such as:
• Cough, colds, strep throat and flu
• Ear infections
• Sinus and allergy problems
• Pink eye
• Minor cuts and injuries
• Sports injuries, sprains and fractures
• Urinary tract infections
• Skin infections and rashes
“Boone Convenient Care bridges the gap when treatment for injury and illness can’t wait for an appointment with a primary care provider,” says Sara Revelle, a family nurse practitioner (FNP) with Boone Convenient Care.
Boone Convenient Care also provides school, sports or camp physicals, Department of Transportation (DOT) physical exams, and vaccinations.
Recommended: Bring a list of current medications (prescription and over the counter) and allergies.
Boone Convenient Care in Columbia is open weekdays from
8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Their office is located at Parkade Center at 601 Business Loop 70 West, Suite 275, in Columbia.
Convenient care co-pays typically cost less than a visit to an emergency department or urgent care.
Coming soon: Boone Hospital Nifong Medical Plaza, scheduled to open in early 2016, will include a convenient care clinic.
To learn more, visit boone.org/Convenient-Care.
Your Primary Care Provider
If it’s not a medical emergency, contact your primary care provider (PCP). You may be able to be seen that day.
“A patient’s primary care provider is always there for them. Patients should always call their PCP first for anything they need,” says Marie Pourooshasb, FNP-BC with Boone Medical Group North.
A PCP provides care for chronic conditions or health problems.
Your primary care provider has a relationship with you and your family and knows your medical history.
Your PCP can order lab tests and screenings or refer you to a specialist for additional care.
Walk-In Primary Care Clinic:
Patients with Boone Medical Group North can have same-day visits with their PCP without scheduling an appointment.
Pourooshasb says, “BMG North is a walk-in clinic. We’re unique; our patients can see their primary care provider on an ongoing and an urgent care basis.”
Remember: Follow up with your PCP after being treated in an emergency department or convenient care clinic.
Need a Primary Care Provider? You can find and set up an appointment by calling our Physician Referral line at 573-815-6400 or visiting boone.org/Find-A-Physician.