A new telemedicine clinic will now allow people to have access to healthcare without having to go to a doctor’s office.
It’s the state’s first true one-stop shop for all your medical needs and Wednesday officials cut the ribbon on the clinic which will be housed at Fred’s Pharmacy in Flora.
The telehealth walk-in clinic, provided by TelehealthOne, provides immediate contact with a doctor or nurse practitioner through a webcam.
“They put in what their problem is and they can tell us exactly what is going on,” said nurse practitioner Heather Mangum. “They have an assistant to drive them and walk them through it. The great part about it is that they’re in and out in 15-30 minutes and they have been seen by a professional provider and they are able to be assessed, diagnosed and treated all within a matter of 15-30 minutes.”
Ideally, it’s for people suffering from a common cold, other urgent care symptoms or just need a basic checkup.
“Those early stages of an illness that we might be able to identify and actually reduce the cost to the tax payers,” explained Governor Phil Bryant. “A lot of this will be Medicare, Medicaid coverage here. Plus, just to provide that quality of care that individuals in rural areas might not have access to.”
“I think once everyone catches on to it and it’s kind of the wave of the future in the medical field, I think it’s going to be a great opportunity,” said Flora Mayor Leslie Childress.
Wednesday, we spoke with those who come to Fred’s Pharmacy often, to get their opinions on the new clinic. Mae Kelly of Flora says the added clinic makes it more convenient.
“I think it’s great for the senior citizens here in Flora,” said Kelly. “We don’t have to go a long way if something is wrong with us, we can come and we could have transportation here and almost walk here. We’re just glad to have a walk in clinic. We never had one in Flora.”
Governor Bryant says he would like to see more telehealth clinics across the state. There are currently 200 facilities where you can access a doctor through this type of technology.
