USA Health Urgent Care Partnership Expands Access in Tillmans Corner and South Mobile County

MOBILE, Ala. — A new USA Health urgent care partnership with Greater Mobile Urgent Care is giving south Mobile County residents another option when they need to see a provider quickly for an illness or injury that is not life-threatening. The arrangement centers on Greater Mobile Urgent Care’s clinic on Rangeline Road, which serves Tillmans Corner and surrounding communities seven days a week.

The partnership is designed for patients who need prompt evaluation and treatment but cannot get a timely appointment with their regular primary care provider. USA Health providers may suggest the clinic to appropriate patients when their usual provider is not available, and the clinic can, in turn, connect patients to USA Health when they need more specialized care.

An option between the doctor’s office and the ER

Health system leaders describe urgent care as an extension of the care continuum, a middle ground between a scheduled office visit and a trip to the emergency department. For conditions such as a sinus infection, a sprained ankle or a cut that needs stitches, an urgent care visit can often be faster and less expensive than an emergency room.

Dr. Darren Waters, medical director for Greater Mobile Urgent Care, said urgent care fills an important gap.

“Urgent care provides an important option for patients who need medical attention without the time, expense and inconvenience that can accompany an emergency department visit for a non-emergency condition,” Waters said.

USA Health also sees a benefit for its emergency departments. Steering patients with minor illnesses and injuries to an appropriate level of care helps keep emergency rooms available for patients who need emergency-level evaluation and treatment.

What the Rangeline Road clinic treats

Greater Mobile Urgent Care treats a wide range of common illnesses and minor injuries, including:

• Respiratory and sinus infections, sore throats and earaches
• Urinary tract infections and gastrointestinal illnesses
• Rashes and allergic reactions
• Sprains, strains, back pain and joint pain
• Minor burns and cuts
• Suspected fractures

Depending on the condition, the clinic can provide X-rays, EKGs, selected lab testing, medications and IV fluids for dehydration.

The Rangeline Road clinic is open from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Weekend and evening hours can be especially helpful for working families and for parents whose children get sick after school or on a Saturday, when most doctor’s offices are closed.

‘About access, plain and simple’

Natalie Fox, chief executive officer of USA Health, said the partnership is focused on making care easier to reach for families who live in the southern part of the county.

“Our partnership with Greater Mobile Urgent Care is about access, plain and simple,” Fox said. “Families in south Mobile County deserve timely, high-quality care close to home, without a long drive or a long wait in an emergency room. Together, we’re making it easier for our neighbors in Tillmans Corner and beyond to get care when they need it, and connecting them to the full strength of USA Health when they need more.”

Tillmans Corner is one of the most populous unincorporated communities in Mobile County, and residents of nearby areas such as Theodore, Grand Bay and Bayou La Batre often travel into Mobile for medical care. Rangeline Road is a major corridor in the area, close to Interstate 10, making the clinic convenient for many south county residents.

Building on existing ties

The partnership grows out of a relationship that already existed. Several physicians affiliated with Greater Mobile Urgent Care have connections to the University of South Alabama’s Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine and USA Health residency programs, linking the practice to the university and to the wider local medical community.

USA Health is the academic health system of the University of South Alabama. It includes University Hospital, home to the region’s only Level I trauma center; Children’s & Women’s Hospital; the USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute; and a network of physician practices and clinics across the region. Its physicians also train medical students and residents through the Whiddon College of Medicine.

Urgent care complements, not replaces, your doctor

Health officials stress that urgent care is meant to complement a patient’s established primary or specialty care, not replace it. Patients should keep seeing their regular providers for preventive care, such as checkups, screenings and vaccinations, and for ongoing management of chronic conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure and asthma.

An established primary care relationship gives patients a provider who knows their health history and can coordinate care over time. Urgent care is best used for the unexpected: an illness or injury that needs attention today, when the regular doctor is booked or the office is closed.

When to call 911 instead

Urgent care is not the right place for a medical emergency. Anyone with potentially life-threatening symptoms should call 911 or go to an emergency department immediately. Those symptoms include:

• Chest pain or pressure
• Severe difficulty breathing
• Signs of a stroke, such as sudden facial drooping, arm or leg weakness, or trouble speaking
• Major trauma, such as a serious car crash, a bad fall or a deep wound with heavy bleeding

A simple rule of thumb: if a condition could threaten life or limb, go to the emergency room or call 911. If it is uncomfortable and needs attention soon but is not an emergency, urgent care is a good choice. If it can wait a day or two, call your regular provider.

For south Mobile County families, the new partnership means one more place to turn when a minor illness or injury cannot wait, with a direct connection to the region’s academic health system when more help is needed.