How is Sioux Falls' Newest Urgent Care Different
In early December, Sioux Falls Specialty Hospital opened its first urgent care facility on Minnesota Avenue in Sioux Falls. (Want an exclusive look inside? See the Gallery below this article) And according to CEO Blake Curd, MD, it may not be its last. We spoke with Dr. Curd about what he hopes will set this newest urgent care clinic apart from others in the region.
MED: Why an urgent care facility?
Dr. C: For several years, we have been looking at the possibility of entering into this part of healthcare. We have heard over and over that people need a quicker, easier way to access the healthcare they need when they need it. Access to urgent care allows the ER to be used for what it was intended - accidents, heart attacks, etc.
MED: What is different about Sioux Falls Urgent Care from other urgent care facilities in the region?
Dr. C: For one thing, it was built from the ground up to be an urgent care facility. It is not just a primary care clinic that decided to have different hours. Secondly, a significant portion of the building will be dedicated to occupational medicine. This will serve people who need urgent access for occupational injuries as well as those who need occupational screenings. So we are the first facility to put these two things together - urgent care and occupational medicine.
MED: Will the patient experience be any different?
Dr. C: We don’t have a traditional waiting area which you see in most clinics. That is because we expect people to come in the door and head right down the hall to see a provider. We have access to these patient rooms from the back side and we have the ability to move into the occupational medicine side if we need to. So the whole patient flow is designed to be much more efficient.
MED: Is this an area that SFSH is likely to delve into more deeply?
Dr. C: We hear from a lot of patients that they love our hospital and want a way to see us when its not just for surgery. The area of town that we chose for our urgent care is relatively underserved for people with acute episodic healthcare needs. We think there are other sites in the Sioux Falls area that are also in need of a similar facility.