Currently under construction, a walk-in urgent care clinic is slated to open this fall in Danville, at 1591 Hustonville Road. It will be operated by First Care Clinics.

“We’re extremely excited to bring our patient-centered, walk-in urgent care to the folks of Danville,” said Rob Pantoja, founder of First Care Clinics, in a press release. “We are going to offer a new kind of care to this wonderful community. At First Care, we are relentless about transforming the delivery of healthcare through outstanding customer service, convenience, and affordability.”

The new clinic will be equipped with multiple exam rooms, on-site lab testing and digital X-ray capabilities. It will provide an array of urgent care, walk-in and occupational medical services, the release states.

Occupational medical services at the clinic will include drug testing for employment, said Blake Williams, marketing coordinator.

The point of an urgent-care center, he said, is to bridge the gap from the primary care physician to the emergency room.

“If you just need stitches, or you’ve got a dislocation or a fracture, you may not need to go to an ER,” Williams said. “The ER — it can get really expensive.”

Being able to provide X-rays; blood work for pregnancy and other tests; testing for STDs; and more is what makes an urgent care clinic, such as First Care Clinic, different from a primary care physician or a walk-in clinic, Williams said. Urgent care clinics do not provide treatment for chronic illnesses, he said, except in the case of potentially stabilizing someone to go to the hospital in an extreme situation.

“We have a list of primary care physicians we can give to those who need chronic treatment. We will refer you to a physician that is accepting new patients,” Williams said.

The urgent care clinic will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week. While each clinic is run by a nurse practitioner, every file is reviewed by a doctor.

“We consistently and continuously provide the best care and the highest level of customer service. We want to get you in and out,” Williams said, explaining that patients are expected to wait no more than 10 minutes in the waiting room and no more than 30 minutes in the exam rooms.

“However, we are thorough,” he said.

First Care Clinics serve everyone, regardless of insurance plans. Those who prefer to pay out-of-pocket or who aren’t covered under insurance can pay $89, Williams said, and will be treated — that would include X-rays and blood work, among other things, he said.

“There’s no middle man, which keeps the costs low. We can pass the savings on to our patients,” Williams said.

“A shortage of primary care physicians and the cost of treating non-emergency health issues at emergency rooms has become an economic drain on patients. Walk-in urgent care helps to bridge the gap between primary care physicians and ERs,” explained Jill Obremskey, a doctor and chief medical officer for First Care, in the press release. “By accepting most insurance plans and offering affordable, self-pay prices for uninsured patients or patients with high deductible insurance plans, we hope to make healthcare available to everyone in the Danville area.”

Williams said First Care selected Danville after conducting market research in the area.

“(We) go into these towns and speak to the locals. we know who the medical providers are. We felt they had a need for health care that was affordable but also efficient,” he said. “We don’t force ourselves in towns that don’t want us or don’t need us … We don’t want smaller towns, rural areas having to pay astronomical prices for decent health care, or having to travel two-and-a-half to three hours away. We want to make a difference in these communities.”

First Care tries to make a difference outside of the clinic in its communities through the First Care Community Fund, Williams said. That fund donates to local charities in the respective communities where First Care clinics are located.

Portions of the money earned from sports physicals will also be donated to the local schools or sports programs, Williams said.

“We’re here, we want to get involved. We care about the same things you care about — serving the Danville community,” Williams said. “We’re really excited about coming to Danville. We think it’s going to be a good venture for us.”

There are 11 First Care clinics built or being built and all are in Kentucky; the company has achieved the Urgent Care Association of America (UCAOA) Accredited Urgent Care designation, which is the highest level of distinction for urgent care centers, according to the press release.

SO YOU KNOW

The Danville Urgent Care Clinic, run by First Care Clinics, will open this fall at 1591 Hustonville Road. First Care Clinics is based out of Nashville, with 11 locations open or opening soon in Kentucky. More information about First Care is available at firstcareclinics.com. For construction and information updates, visit Facebook.com/FirstCareDanville.