MMH offers Mercy After Hours for minor emergencies

Mercy Memorial Health Center officials say Mercy After Hours at the Well­ness Center offers patients an option for minor emer­gencies in the evening or on the weekends.

Mercy After Hours is described as the place to seek treatment for minor, but serious, emergencies that are not severe enough for a visit to the hospital’s emergency room. Shana Hammond, MMHC cor­porate communications said the new facility offers treatment for a wide vari­ety of ailments from cuts to fever.

“If you or a family mem­ber is suffering from a bro­ken bone, flu, cold, strep throat, ear ache or any oth­er minor emergency, Mercy can help,” she said, adding the convenience of Mercy After Hours is something John Kriet, Ardmore, re­cently experienced.

“It was late on a Satur­day and I had a pretty bad gash on my leg from work­ing in the yard. I couldn’t get it to stop bleeding,” Kriet said. “My wife and I were headed to the ER at 7:45 in the evening when I remembered we now have Mercy After Hours avail­able.”

When Kriet and his wife arrived at Mercy After Hours, they were immedi­ately seen and his cut was dressed.

“It was a crummy, rainy night, but the co-workers were so nice and quick to help me even at the late hour,” Kriet said. “I was on my way home with plenty of instructions within 20 minutes. And then I re­ceived follow-up calls at home, so they could make sure I was still doing well.”

Hammond said Kriet is a patient at Memorial Medi­cal Clinic, a fact that aided the speed of his treatment at the after hours facility because all of his medi­cal records were avail­able through Mercy’s in­tegrated electronic health record.

“He did not have to com­plete any paperwork,” she said.

According to Kriet Mer­cy After Hours not only provides care for minor emergency situations, it also offers patient another choice.

“If it weren’t for Mercy After Hours, I would have ended up in the ER. It would have been such a waste of the ER’s time be­cause my injury just wasn’t that severe,” he said. “I like that Mercy has given me another option when I need help in the evening or on a weekend.”

Mercy After Hours at the Wellness Center, is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mon­day through Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. on Sunday. The facility is located at 1001 15 Avenue NW.

To ask questions call (580) 223-3737.