Urgent Care Available In Catawba River District

Keep It Local, by Barbara Lawrence – July 11, 2012
Don't wait until you need it to find out where your urgent-care opportunities are located.  For those instances, such as minor cuts, poison ivy and ear ache, you may need assistance but don't feel it is necessary to go to an emergency room. 

My recent experience

I have been meaning to check these places out, but found I actually needed to find one this weekend.  An unnoticed scratch appeared to be headed toward a fast infection. After a quick checkup and an updated tetanus shot, I headed to the local drugstore for a prescription for an antibiotic cream. I also obtained a 25% discount as a cash customer but didn't have to pay it all at one time. The outcome was much better than waiting to see if the situation could have worsened the next day. By the way, if you haven't set up a patient file in a while, they scan the palm of your hand now. It seems our palms are as individual as our finger prints.  It makes me wonder about palm reading.We are very fortunate to have the medical opportunities available to us. 


If you are over 30 years of age, you might remember the popular 1990s TV series "Northern Exposure." A small Alaskan town paid for the medical education of a New York doctor to set up practice in their town for a few years. The culture shock was fun to watch, but the issue of health-care access in rural areas and incentive funding is still an issue today. 



Hospital-connected urgent-care centers
(information from their websites)

CarolinasHealthCare UrgentCare

• Belmont, just south of Hwy 74, off Hwy 273, at 420 Park St, Suite 105; 704-631-1820; 8 am-8 pm daily
• Mountain Island, just south of Hwy 16 at 10210 Couloak Drive, Suite E; 704-801-2000; 8 am-8 pm daily

When to use an Urgent Care Center? Our locations offer a convenient and caring alternative when you have a sudden illness or injury. An urgent-health concern can be any type of illness or injury that must be addressed immediately and cannot wait for a regular medical appointment, but is non-life threatening. We can supplement medical care from your primary care physician as well as provide a quicker, less expensive alternative to emergency rooms for minor, acute illnesses and injuries. Examples of our services includes:

• General adult and pediatric episodic illnesses including sore throats, earaches, bronchitis, colds and flu and upset stomach
• Sprains, strains and fracture care
• Lacerations and burns
• Simple foreign body removal from the eye, ear, nose and skin
• Physicals for school, sports, camp and work 
• Assistance in selecting a primary-care physician

Urgent care centers are not appropriate places for patients with acute chest pain, severe shortness of breath or other acute life threatening illnesses or injuries. In situations of acute illness, please visit the nearest Carolinas Medical Center Emergency Room or call 911.

Caromont Health CLiC Immediate Care Clinic

CLiC Immediate Care Clinic, 8605 Mt Holly - Huntersville Rd.

CaroMont Health provides a CLiC Clinic in the Mountain Island Lake area, just south of Hwy 16, at 8605 Mt. Holly-Huntersville Rd, Charlotte; 704-971-2349. Open 8:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. daily.

About CLiC – Introducing CLiC, a convenient, immediate care clinic right here in our community. It’s faster than urgent care, faster than the emergency room, yet offers the same high-quality staff and care you’ve come to expect from CaroMont Health. And you never need an appointment.

CLiC thoughtfully provides separate sick and well waiting areas to keep everyone feeling better. And in the limited time you are waiting, if any, you’ll have access to interesting health tips from waiting room monitors and touch-screen computers offering health information.

CLiC. Convenient. Local. Immediate. Care. Because when you’re sick or injured, you can’t wait to feel better. And now, you don’t have to. For immediate care when you’re too busy to be sick, visit CLiC.

Pharmacy Clinics

Some pharmacies now offer immunizations, health tests such as cholesterol, and also can examine minor issues.  Get acquainted with these locations and what they offer, so you will be ready.

Walgreens

6802 W Wilkinson Blvd., Belmont; 704-829-5681

Walgreens website 

Special services: Health tests available at the Belmont Walgreens include Wellness Pack, Body Composition, Full-Cholesterol Panel Test, Total Cholesterol and HDL Test, Blood-Glucose Test, A1C Test. Vaccinations available anytime. 

CVS Pharmacy

6750 W. Wilkinson Blvd, Belmont; 704-825-6929

CVS website and Facebook page

Special services: Wellness and physical exams at CVS Minute Clinic. “When you need your cholesterol checked, need a TB test or have a child who needs a sports or camp physical, we can help. We provide the screenings, lab tests, exams and coaching you need to stay healthy.”

Get to know your Catawba River District and the many assets we have here. 

About Barbara Lawrence – Barbara has a background in economic development and real-estate research. Her work has included revitalization of downtown Boone, downtown Gastonia and now Mount Holly.