Starting November 9th, board-certified pediatricians will be available at Lake Region Urgent Care, Honesdale, during peak weekday hours, Monday through Friday from 3pm to 7pm. The pediatricians, members of Wayne Memorial Community Health Centers’ Pediatric Hospitalist Program, will see children—infants to teens—for conditions that don’t require a visit to the Emergency Department but do need prompt attention, such as ear infections, sore throat, allergic reactions, minor cuts or burns as well as broken bones or sprains.
The “after-hours pediatrics” was a response to a demand for same-day sick visits for the community’s youngest patients, according to Wayne Memorial Community Health Centers (WMCHC) Executive Director Frederick Jackson. Lake Region Urgent care joined WMCHC in September.
“Everyone knows children don’t always wait for regular office hours to get sick,” said Jackson, “and we are very pleased to be able to add after-hours pediatric care, no appointment necessary, at Lake Region.”
Jackson noted that many of WMCHC’s general pediatric and Family Medicine offices do offer same-day access by appointment, but slots fill up quickly. Honesdale Pediatric Center located at 1837 Fair Avenue, sees same-day patients by appointment on Saturdays and Sundays between 9am and 12noon. Walk-in service, currently not available due to COVID-19 screenings, is expected to return once the pandemic ends.
Lori Shipsky-Truax, MD, medical director, WMCHC Pediatric Hospitalist Program, looks forward to seeing patients at Lake Region who will benefit from her group’s expertise, “We’re trained to treat infants and young children,” she says, “It’s truly a great plus for an urgent care to have pediatricians on staff.”
Dr. Shipsky-Truax pointed out, however, that since urgent care staff are not a patient’s primary care provider, it is very important for parents to relay the child’s medical history, including any chronic conditions to ensure the optimum continuity of care. “We can provide better services and better communicate what care the child has received to his or her primary care provider.”
Lake Region Urgent Care is located at 273 Grandview Avenue in Honesdale. The facility is open Monday through Saturday from 9 am to 7 pm and Sunday from 9 am to 5 p.m. Patients may download pre-registration forms from the patient portal by visiting www.lakeregionurgentcare.com. For more information, call 570-390-4545. Lake Region Urgent Care and Occupational Medicine officially joined WMCHC on September 30, 2020.
Photo: Lori Shipsky-Truax, MD, FAAP, medical director, WMCHC Pediatric Hospitalist Program, is one of three pediatricians who will be staffing Lake Region Urgent Care Monday – Friday, 3 pm to 7 pm.
