Highland residents now have a new option for walk-in medical services

Elizabeth Donald
·2 min read

HSHS Medical Group will begin seeing walk-in patients this week, after St. Joseph’s Hospital closed its walk-in clinic last month.

St. Joseph’s, which is also part of the HSHS network, announced the closure of its PrimeCare walk-in clinic in mid-November. Growing volume in the hospital’s emergency room and the need for more patient beds required the use of the PrimeCare clinic space, as the ER has seen a 14% increase in patients in the last year.

Now HSHS’s family and internal medicine practice will begin seeing walk-ins from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Patients do not need to be established with a primary care provider to be seen for acute conditions, such as flu, respiratory illness, minor cuts, earaches, etc.

Established patients should still call their primary care physician first. Adding the walk-in clinic should not impact the normal appointment availability for established patients, according to marketing project manager Amanda Mack.

Meanwhile, nationally, patient volume in urgent care centers is up 60% from 2019, driven by both COVID and more traditional causes, according to the Urgent Care Association. Conversely, ER visits tend to decrease at least 17% when there is an urgent care option nearby, according to the association.

The HSHS clinic is located at 12860 Troxler Ave., Suite 320. It was scheduled to open to walk-in patients on Monday.

HSHS also offers walk-in care at the Holy Family Health Center in Greenville and Clinton County Rural Health in Breese. Virtual visits are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week through AnytimeCare.com for a $49 fee.

There are also several other clinics in nearby communities, including Anderson Hospital’s ExpressCare in Maryville; BJC Medical Group Convenient Care on Troy Road in Edwardsville; Gateway Urgent Care in Glen Carbon and WellNow Urgent Care in Collinsville.

Urgent care clinics and walk-in clinics are very similar, though urgent care is more likely to focus on immediate medical issues that are not life-threatening while walk-in clinics can manage less immediate problems. Patients with immediate, life-threatening concerns should still go to an emergency room.

HSHS Medical Group will begin seeing walk-in patients this week, after St. Joseph’s Hospital closed its walk-in clinic last month. St. Joseph’s, which is also part of the HSHS network, announced the closure of its PrimeCare walk-in clinic in mid-November.
HSHS Medical Group will begin seeing walk-in patients this week, after St. Joseph’s Hospital closed its walk-in clinic last month. St. Joseph’s, which is also part of the HSHS network, announced the closure of its PrimeCare walk-in clinic in mid-November.