By Vernon Robison
Moapa Valley Progress
A new urgent care medical facility opened its doors in Mesquite this week. The Mesa View Quick Care, a division of Mesa View Hospital, began seeing patients at 1301 Bertha Howe Ave., Suite 6 on Monday.
“We are excited about being able to offer this new avenue of medical care to the residents of this area,” said Mesa View Quick Care Practice Manager Lloyd Gatherum.
The new facility will expand the hours that urgent care is available in the community, Gatherum said.
“Right now there is nothing after hours or on Sunday except for the Emergency Room,” Gatherum said.
The new facility is open Monday through Saturday from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm and is meant to offer a lower cost alternative to seeking care at the emergency room.
The Quick Care should be used to diagnose and treat non-life threatening medical conditions or to complement the family doctor’s care during after-hours or on weekends, Gatherum explained.
“If you wake up with a sore throat or your child has fallen down and broken his arm or is cut and needs stitches, this facility offers an open schedule where you can walk in and receive care,” Gatherum said.
The idea of the Quick Care facility is to allow people to receive care for non-life threatening situations during extended hours without paying top dollar to visit the emergency room, Gatherum added.
“We will also have more flexibility in our fee scale than is possible at the ER,” he said. “For example, we have the ability to reduce or discount billing for people who are unemployed or uninsured.”
The new facility will be utilizing the deep bench of staff at the Mesa View Medical Associates located in the same building. This family practice group, formerly named Mesquite Medical Associates, was acquired by the Mesa View Hospital earlier this year.
Family practice physician Dr. Faith Izad will be on hand at the new Quick Care facility. Also seeing patients will be Physician Assistants Brian Lefler and Jeff Wright.
The Quick Care facility will also welcome a new pediatrician to the practice in March. Dr. Merrill Horne will begin seeing patients from the new Mesa View Quick Care at that time.
Hospital administration hopes that, in offering the new urgent care facility, it will encourage people of northeast Clark County to stay here to receive medical care rather than go to Las Vegas or St. George.
“The more people who stay here to receive care, the more specialists and services we can bring in here,” Gatherum said.
Mesa View Quick Care will be holding a grand opening event on Friday, January 28 from noon to 1:00 p.m. The public is invited to tour the facility and meet staff members. The event will offer activities and giveaways. Food will also be provided by Logandale barbecue master Rik Eide and his Great Basin Cooking Company. All are welcome.
