Pictured are Megan Jackson, RN; Tracy Taylor, RN, Emergency Department and Urgent Care Nurse Leader; Lisa Feather, PA-C; James Hopper, PA-C; Michelle O’Neill, M.D., Medical Director; and Krystal Seibert, RN.
FMH CEO, Katherine Bunting-Williams, Ph.D., has announced the November 1, 2016 opening of Fairfield Memorial Hospital Urgent Care with an open house celebration to be held on Thursday, October 27, from 5-8 p.m.
“Fairfield Memorial Hospital is going to provide continuity of care for patients of the area by now having Urgent Care available. Through feasibility studies, we identified a need to bridge care for those with urgent needs, meaning those who need seen right away, but cannot wait longer than a day for an appointment with a doctor, but are not necessarily emergency-warranted. We see over 10,000 patients per year in the Emergency Department (ED); about 7,000 of them are urgent cases, but not emergency cases. Therefore, by opening Urgent Care we will lower wait times, and the cost of emergency visits will decrease, not only for the patient, but for the hospital,” stated Dr. Bunting- Williams.
FMH has recruited two seasoned and talented mid-level providers, James Hopper, PA-C, MS, and Lisa Feather, RN, BSN, PA-C, MPAS, CLNC, who will be staffing the Urgent Care, in addition to two talented Registered Nurses, Megan Jackson, RN, and Krystal Seibert, RN. Urgent Care will be overseen by Medical Director, Michelle O’Neill, M.D., and Tracy Taylor, RN, Emergency Department and Urgent Care Nurse Leader.
A highlight on the Urgent Care Medical Providers:
Physician Assistant, James J. Hopper, PA-C, MS comes to Fairfield with over 25 years of experience in Urgent Care and is Board Certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants. He is also a member of the Illinois Academy of Physician Assistants and American Academy of Physician Assistants, along with being a former Delegate of these organizations. PA Hopper holds a Master’s Degree in Health Services Administration from the University of Saint Francis in Joliet, IL along with a Bachelor in Medical Science and Physician Assistant Certification from Saint Louis University. He has served in the military as a United States Air Force Security Policeman and was awarded the Commendation Award from the US Army, Fort Stewart, Georgia. He is active in his church, been a volunteer fireman, served as a speaker for several pharmaceutical companies and done expert witness work.
Physician Assistant, Lisa Feather, RN, BSN, PA-C, MPAS, CLNC, comes to Fairfield Memorial Hospital’s Urgent care with 35 years of clinical experience in many areas of healthcare including the Hospital, Emergency Department, Nursing Management, Trauma Educator, EMS Coordinator, Family Practice, Cardiac Surgery, Electronic Health Record, Urgent Care and Occupational Medicine. She has twelve years of experience as a Registered Nurse and four years of experience in Nursing Administration. PA Feather is a member of the American Academy of
Physician Assistants, Illinois Academy of Physician Assistants, and National Alliance of Certified Legal Nurse Consultants. She holds a Master’s Physician Assistant of Science from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg, TX. PA Feather resides in Wayne City, IL and is excited to continue to see familiar faces of the community and to be part of team of providers at Fairfield Memorial Hospital. Why go to Urgent Care?
Patients who would be great candidates to go directly to Urgent Care could be individuals who can’t get an appointment at a convenient time in the doctor’s office. Hours of the Urgent Care will be 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. Therefore, it alleviates the requirement to wait to be seen when a need arises outside of regular business hours. There is no need for an appointment, as patients can simply walk-in and register to be seen. In addition, depending on severity of the patient’s situation, assessed through a medical screening process in the Emergency Department, patients could be given the option to be seen in Urgent Care. Those who can identify on their own the need for just Urgent Care, can directly present to Urgent Care and bypass the triage in the Emergency Department saving them time.
