No urgent care center for now
Community Howard approaching healthcare access from different angles
Kokomo Lantern reader Johnathan Grant expressed a concern about the growing demand for urgent healthcare services in the community, and specifically cited a rumor that Community Howard Regional Health might be in the market to open a new clinic.
“Even before COVID, it seemed like every year or two I heard the rumor that ‘in six months, or maybe next year’ Community Howard would open an urgent care, or as Community calls them, a MedCheck clinic,” Grant wrote. “However, it has never come to pass. Could it be looked into again to find out if any medical provider plans to open or expand urgent or immediate care in Kokomo?”
We didn’t have time to contact every healthcare provider in the Kokomo/Howard County market, but Community Howard was receptive to the question of whether a MedCheck clinic is in the cards. George Mast, manager of corporate communication for Community Howard Regional Health, explained that the hospital is investing in efforts to improve access to healthcare, but a MedCheck clinic currently isn’t on the menu.
“Community Howard Regional Health regularly looks at access to healthcare needs within the community and has been working to address those in a number of ways,” stated Mast. “Community continues to recruit new physicians and advanced practice providers to the community to expand the availability of both primary care and other specialty services.
“One successful tool in recruiting Nurse Practitioners has been the partnership formed with Indiana University Kokomo to form a Family Nurse Practitioner program. Many of those graduates are now working in the local community. Due to the immediate high demand for care, Community has also taken steps to add evening and weekend hours at several primary care clinics.
“Moving forward we will continue to evaluate needs and will take steps as needed to work to ensure there is adequate access to care for all members of the community.”