Rock River Valley residents have another choice for walk-in retail medical care at the new MinuteClinic, located inside the CVS Pharmacy at 6506 N. Alpine Road in Loves Park.
The clinic opened May 4, and there are 25 other clinic locations in Illinois — most are in the Chicago area and one is in Bloomington. MinuteClinic has more than 500 locations in 26 states and Washington, D.C.
MinuteClinic specializes in treating common illnesses like strep throat and ear, eye, sinus, bladder and bronchial infections. Minor wounds, abrasions and joint sprains also are treated, and common vaccinations are offered there.
Most health insurance plans are accepted, and the cost for most treatment starts at $79.
Rockford also has similar Take Care Clinics located in select Walgreens stores, and OSF Medical Group recently opened a walk-in health clinic at the Walmart store on East State Street.
Norma Jackson, district manager of operations for the Chicago-area MinuteClinics, said sites for the clinics are chosen based on a variety of factors, including the amount of uninsured or underinsured people in the area and the density of population. MinuteClinic has announced plans to open 100 new clinics each year for the next five years.
Jackson said the clinics are doing more with chronic disease monitoring, too, for diseases like hypertension and diabetes. Patients may find the clinic more accessible and convenient than a doctor’s office if they need to be monitored more frequently, and the clinic’s staff communicates results of said monitoring by email or fax with patients’ physicians.
For example, a physician might adjust a patient’s blood pressure medication, and that patient needs to be monitored more frequently to see how the medication is affecting him or her. MinuteClinic can help with monitoring those changes if the clinic is closer to the patient’s home and easier to get to than the doctor’s office, but staff will still report any changes to the patient’s physician.
Jackson said she expects the clinic to be busy with with sports and school physicals.
The clinic is open from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sunday. Visit MinuteClinic’s website for more information.
