Consolidated Services Aimed at Better Urgent Care Services

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

In an effort to provide safer, more efficient and higher-capacity services, Cincinnati Children’s is consolidating its weekend urgent care centers beginning Dec. 21.

Consolidated operations at urgent care centers in Mason and Anderson will allow more patients to be seen and limit the need of directing patients to other locations when the centers reach capacity. The staff for the expanded services will come from Fairfield, where the weekend urgent care center will be closed.

No change will be made in the Monday-through-Friday urgent care center at Fairfield. Lab and radiology services will remain open on Saturday mornings.

The urgent care centers at Mason and Anderson are seeing such large numbers of patients that it is difficult to care for them all in a timely and optimum manner. Some evenings, the centers are so busy, families are directed to other urgent care centers or to Cincinnati Children’s Liberty Campus or the hospital on Burnet Avenue, both which operate 24-hour-a-day emergency rooms.

Consolidating weekend staff at Mason and Anderson will help ensure safe staffing levels, allowing more children to be treated at the walk-in clinics.

Changes at the urgent care centers will begin Dec. 21. Fairfield Urgent Care services will continue to operate during the week, seeing patients from 6 to 11 p.m. Monday through Friday. The urgent care centers at Mason and Anderson will be open 6 to 11 p.m. during the week and 12 to 7 p.m. on Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays. Lab and radiology services at Fairfield will be available 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.