Baptist Health adds two urgent care centers to River Valley area

Alex Gladden, Fort Smith Times Record
·2 min read

Baptist Health is opening two new urgent care centers in Fort Smith and Van Buren.

The Baptist Health Urgent Care Northside will open July 18 at 2801 Rogers Ave., Fort Smith. The Baptist Health Urgent Care Van Buren will open Aug. 8 at 1902 Fayetteville Rd., Van Buren, said Mike Dupuis, the division vice president.

“Those are two areas that will complement the greater footprint in the Fort Smtih region," Dupois said.

There is a great need for urgent care centers in those areas, said Arianna Heras, the director of operations of all four Fort Smith urgent care centers.

“There’s really a high demand and need for them," Heras said.

Dupois said that they will be beneficial to the area.

“Well access to quick and urgent care is always something that is to the advantage of the community for one, and then the other side of it is that because of what we do with walk-in availability, you know, we try to help the the emergency room at Baptist. Having us around allows them to really focus on the need at that time rather than dealing with acute problems, which is what we handle, so it’s beneficial to both the community and the health system Dupois said.

Monday through Friday the centers will be open from 8 a.m.to 8 p.m. On Saturdays, they will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and on Sundays, they will be open from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The centers accept most insurances including Medicaid and Medicare.

“We’re just really excited to get things going so we can service our community," Heras said.

The centers handle cases that are non-emergent but still need immediate attention. They have access to X-rays and EKGs. Medical staff at the centers can suture wounds and conduct physicals.

Alex Gladden is a University of Arkansas graduate. She previously reported for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and The Jonesboro Sun before joining the Times Record. She can be contacted at agladden@swtimes.com.

This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: New urgent care centers located in Van Buren, Fort Smith