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Alton Memorial Convenient Care is located at the corner of Godfrey Road and Stamper Lane, across from North Elementary School.
ALTON – Convenient care is important in health care and Alton Memorial Hospital is listening to customer recommendations, opening a new center for those needs.
The new Convenient Care Center at 5520 B Godfrey Road will provide urgent treatment for non-acute medical issues.
Michelle Gross, office manager for the new center, said, “Our medical team is ready to give you immediate, same-day attention. No appointments are necessary.”
Dr. David Burnside will be the center's medical director. Gross said the center would provide additional access at a lower cost. There will also be mid-level physician assistants and nurse practitioners available.
“We will see patients that have an illness or injury that doesn’t warrant a trip to the emergency room,” she said. “If your physician office is closed, we can see you and the results of your visit will be sent to your physician for continuity of care.”
Gross said the new center is much needed in the Greater Alton Area.
“It will kind of let up the E.R. a little bit with minor illnesses, things that don’t warrant an emergency room visit,” she said. “It will be a doctor’s clinic but after hours, from 2 to 10 p.m. seven days a week, even holidays. We will do physicals, any type of simple injuries or illnesses you see normally in a doctor’s clinic.”
For working people, she said this will be helpful when they don’t get off work until 4 or 5 p.m.
“We will take walk-in appointments,” she said. “We are looking for anyone ages 6 months all the way up. I know in Missouri, BJC has one. We have done research and this is a much-needed thing to free up the E.R. departments for more critical things.”
Gross, a licensed registered nurse for more than 20 years, worked pediatrics for Dr. Kathie Wuellner for 13 years and has been a part of many physicians with their offices as a nurse, receptionist or both. She also worked in an urgent care setting in Poplar Bluff, Mo.
A grand opening is slated for March 3. Gross described Alton Memorial Convenient Care as just that – “convenient care when and where you need it and we have a great team.”
The center will have easy stoplight access off Godfrey Road and Stamper Lane in Godfrey. It will be two miles south of Illinois 255 across from McDonald's. The hours are 2 to 10 p.m. daily and the phone number is (618) 463-7800.
The center will accept most insurance plans, check, cash and MasterCard.
A 14-year Alton Memorial Hospital veteran, Gross said being office manager of the new center is one of her biggest accomplishments.
“I work with a great staff and we will have plenty of resources to help people out and make this work,” she said.
Common ailments seen at Alton Memorial Convenient Care include:
- Allergies and allergic reactions
- Back pain
- Burns and sunburns
- Constipation or diarrhea
- Cough, cold or flu symptoms
- Dental problems
- Fever
- Finger or toe nail problems
- Foreign bodies
- Hand infections
- Insect bites or rashes
- Joint sprain or pain
- Minor muscle strains
- Minor scrapes, cuts or bruises
- School physicals
- Sinus pain
- Sore throat or earache
- Treatment of workers’ compensation injuries
- Urinary tract infection symptoms
- Wound checks
Note: Alton Memorial Hospital’s public relations department contributed to this story.