New Covenant clinic to open in College Square Hy-Vee store

July 23--CEDAR FALLS -- A trip to Hy-Vee may soon mean more than just picking up some groceries.

It might include a medical checkup.

Next week, Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare-Iowa will open its first walk-in clinic in a retail store in the Cedar Valley, a Convenient Care Express at College Square Hy-Vee, 6301 University Ave., in Cedar Falls.

The clinic is scheduled to open Tuesday.

Convenient Care Express, a division of Covenant Clinic, will offer "affordable health care for minor conditions and symptoms provided by a nurse practitioner," according to a news release.

Symptoms treated will include allergies, sore throats, fevers, flu, cold, ear and sinus infections. Services can be paid for by insurance or cash.

Hy-Vee started construction at the College Square location in March, enlarging its pharmacy and accommodating space for the clinic.

"We're excited that we could help bring this convenient health care solution to the community," Jeff Sesker, store director at the College Square Hy-Vee, said in the news release."We understand our customers' lives are hectic, and through our in-store pharmacy, dietician and walk-in clinic services we strive to make it easy for customers to live happier and healthier."

There are two other Convenient Care locations in Cedar Falls and Waterloo.

"This health care model exists in other metro areas across the country, and it provides another opportunity for busy families to get treated for acute symptoms," said Peter Camilli, director of clinic operations for Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare. "We encourage patients to build a relationship with a primary doctor, but walk-in clinics exist for less serious conditions like colds or sinus infections, not the chronic conditions that require ongoing treatments."

The clinic will be open from noon to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and also will operate on holidays.

Patients must be 18 months or older, and some age restrictions exist for select services, the company said.

Electronic medical records for patients already a part of the Covenant Clinic network will be available to providers, however, one does not need to be a current Covenant Clinic patient to be treated at Convenient Care Express.

There are no plans for additional clinics at retail locations, but that could change.

"We certainly hope that if this clinic is successful at Hy-Vee in Cedar Falls, that we would open another clinic at a different Hy-Vee in the area," Camilli said.

___

(c)2014 Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier (Waterloo, Iowa)

Visit Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier (Waterloo, Iowa) at www.wcfcourier.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services