Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care Consolidates South Locations, Expands Hendersonville Road Center

ASHEVILLE, N.C.--Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care at 1833 Hendersonville Road is expanding its services and hours to better serve industrial and business patients. This expansion means that the Sisters of Mercy location on Airport Road, which primarily provided business and occupational health services, will close September 30.

“We have extended our treatment hours at our urgent care on Hendersonville Road to accommodate patients from our Mercy Occupational Medicine program,” stated Tim Johnston, President and CEO of Sisters of Mercy Services. “By consolidating our two south Asheville urgent care facilities, not only are we extending our after-hours capacity, we are giving patients access to a larger group of board-certified providers 7 days a week, 362 days a year. We recently added another mid-level practitioner to this center, enabling us to accommodate more of the business and industrial patients we serve.”

The Mercy Occupational Medicine program is open to area businesses that need a medical center for a variety of different reasons such as non-life-threatening, on-the-job illnesses and injuries, specialized testing and screening, and employee physicals, including digital x-ray and state-of-the-art laboratory services. Sisters of Mercy offered these services on a smaller scale at its Airport Road location.

“With our relatively new Hendersonville Road location and extra space, we can better serve not only patients from the Mercy Occupational Medicine program, but our urgent care patients as well with more providers and longer hours,” explained Johnston. “It just makes sense. By increasing our efficiency, our 111-year-old non-profit can continue to offer quality, affordable healthcare for non-life threatening injuries and illnesses on a larger scale.” Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care facilities are the only urgent cares in WNC certified by the Urgent Care Association of America.

Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care Recognized in Urgent Care News for Service and Core Values

Excerpt from "How One Urgent Care Has Made Service a Way of Life" from UrgentCareNews.com:

"For many people, serving the needy consists of some loose change tossed into a Salvation Army bucket during the holidays. For the staff at Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care, serving the needy is not just a part of their mission; it’s a way of life." Click here to continue reading the article...

New Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care Facility Focuses on Efficiency, Quality Care
Ribbon Cutting Slated for August 3rd
 
Asheville, NC (July 29, 2010)— Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care will officially unveil its new, state-of-the-art South Asheville facility in Meridian Place at 1833 Hendersonville Rd. on August 3rd, with an Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting ceremony scheduled for 4:30 p.m.

“We’re just so excited because this beautiful new building will allow us to help even more people, at a quicker rate, all with top-notch equipment,” said Sharon Owen, Marketing Director for Sisters of Mercy Services. “Everything was designed with our patients in mind, to treat them most effectively and efficiently, and to make the overall experience as good as it can be. There’s great parking, it’s very easily accessible and the interior is streamlined so that everything runs smoothly. This facility is an investment in the community, just like the Sisters of Mercy have been making for 110 years.”

The new urgent care center will be open to the public seven days a week, with no appointment necessary to see a board-certified physician and receive care for non-life-threatening injuries and illnesses. The building, developed by Rusty Pulliam and designed by architect John Fisher, incorporates many environmentally-friendly features, plus cutting-edge equipment and digital x-ray capabilities. “We designed it in such a way that it will serve the community for many, many years to come,” explained Owen.

The August 3rd ribbon-cutting will be attended by dignitaries from the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce, and the public is welcome to attend. Light refreshments will be served and neighboring businesses in Meridian Place will join in the celebration.

Sisters of Mercy CEO Tim Johnston said, “We’re very proud of this fantastic new care center, and extremely grateful to all the people who helped make it a reality. We want people to be aware that anyone can walk into any Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care center, with no appointment, and receive quality medical care for a fraction of the time and cost of an E.R. visit.”

The newly-built South Asheville facility is one of five Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care centers in Asheville, Arden, Brevard and Weaverville, and replaces the prior location at 1812 Hendersonville Rd. For more information, please call Sharon Owen at (828) 281-2598.

About Sisters of Mercy Services: Asheville-based Sisters of Mercy Services includes Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care, the Catherine McAuley MERCY Foundation and Mountain Health Contracting. In 2009, Sisters of Mercy Services provided more than $4 million in uncompensated and under-compensated care and saved the community an estimated $12 million through ER avoidance. The McAuley MERCY Foundation, a 501(c)3 charitable organization, raises funds to help the Sisters of Mercy fulfill their mission of caring for those in need. 2010 marks the 110th year of service by the Sisters of Mercy in Western North Carolina and the 25th year for the local, nonprofit Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care, which provides affordable treatment of non-life-threatening illnesses and injuries by board-certified physicians. Appointments are never necessary, and some of its five locations are open seven days a week, 362 days a year. To date, the organization has served more than one million patients in the WNC region. Please call (828) 210-2121 or visit www.urgentcares.org for more information.

Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care Receives Gold Aster Award
 
Asheville, NC (June 3, 2010)— Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care has won a coveted Aster Award for its recent “We’re Here For You” campaign, created in conjunction with Asheville marketing firm The Brite Agency. Aster Awards are earned for outstanding excellence in medical marketing, and Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care was rewarded with the prestigious Gold Aster Award for creating the superior entry in their group’s “total advertising campaign” category. The winning campaign, “We’re Here For You,” highlights the fact that anyone can walk into Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care—with no appointment—and receive medical attention for non-life-threatening injuries and illnesses. The campaign also touches on Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care’s extended hours of operation (some of its five area locations are open seven days a week), and communicates how patients will receive care from board-certified physicians at a fraction of the time and cost of an ER visit.

About Sisters of Mercy: Asheville-based Sisters of Mercy Services includes Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care, the Catherine McAuley MERCY Foundation and Mountain Health Contracting. In 2009, Sisters of Mercy Services provided more than $4 million in uncompensated and under-compensated care and saved the community an estimated $12 million through ER avoidance. The McAuley MERCY Foundation, a 501(c)3 charitable organization, raises funds to help the Sisters of Mercy fulfill their mission of caring for those in need. 2010 marks the 110th year of service by the Sisters of Mercy in Western North Carolina and the 25th year for the local, nonprofit Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care, which provides affordable treatment of non-life-threatening illnesses and injuries by board-certified physicians. Appointments are never necessary, and some of its five locations are open seven days a week, 362 days a year. To date, the organization has served more than one million patients in the WNC region. Please call (828) 210-2121 or visit www.urgentcares.org for more information.

Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care to Open in Transylvania County
 
Asheville/Brevard, NC (June 26, 2009)— Tim Johnston, President and CEO of Sisters of Mercy Services Corporation, announced today the opening of a new Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care off of Highway 64/276 at the intersection of North Caldwell and Whitmire Streets. The facility will open in the Fall 2009.

The new Urgent Care will offer patients, business, and industry convenient access to quality treatment of minor illness and injuries, without an appointment, by expanding Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care’s existing network which includes:

• Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care-Airport Road, 77 Airport Road, Arden
• Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care-South, 1812 Hendersonville Road, Asheville
• Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care-West, 1201 Patton Avenue, Asheville
• Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care-North, 155 Weaver Boulevard, Weaverville

“The Brevard location will offer a quality, convenient healthcare alternative for the residents of Transylvania County especially after hours and on weekends when traditional caregivers may not be available,” noted Tim Johnston. Bob Bednarek, CEO of Transylvania Regional Hospital, added, “Urgent care has been an expressed need for our county, and on behalf of our community we welcome them as a partner in meeting the healthcare needs of our region.”

The Sisters of Mercy have owned and operated urgent care centers in Buncombe County for nearly 30 years and served Western North Carolina’s healthcare and service needs for more than 100 years. In addition to Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care, Sisters of Mercy Services Corporation (“SOMSC”) includes Mountain Health Contracting general contractors and the Catherine McAuley MERCY Foundation. Additional information about SOMSC is available at www.somsc.org or by calling (828) 281-1303. Information about our Urgent Care centers, including location hours, directions and employment opportunities, can be found online at www.urgentcares.org.

Ellen T. Lawson, MD Named Medical Director for Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care, Inc.
 
Asheville (March 11, 2009)— Ellen T. Lawson, MD, has been named Medical Director for Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care, Inc., a division of Sisters of Mercy Services Corporation (www.somsc.org). Lawson is a Diplomat of the American Board of Emergency Medicine and brings 32 years of clinical experience to the urgent care setting, including six years as the Director of the Emergency Department at Louise Obici Memorial Hospital in Suffolk, VA, six years as Medical Director of Emergency and Ambulatory Services at Amsterdam Memorial Hospital in Amsterdam, NY, and 11 years as an Emergency Department Attending Physician at St. Joseph/Memorial Mission Hospital in Asheville, NC. She has been in a staff physician role with Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care since 2001, and has served as Co-Medical Director for the past six months. During her time as Co-Medical Director, Lawson has shown a tremendous dedication to the organization’s Mission and Core Values, and has been a driving force in efforts to ensure effective and efficient service delivery and quality patient care. Lawson received her Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Trinity University and her Doctor of Medicine degree from the Medical College of Virginia.

Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care is based in Asheville, and has facilities located at 1201 Patton Avenue, 1812 Hendersonville Road, 155 Weaver Boulevard, and, effective April 1, at 77 Airport Road. Collectively these facilities served over 60,000 patients during 2008 and provided over $2.5 million in community benefit. More information on services and employment opportunities is available at: www.urgentcares.org.

Park Ridge Hospital and Sisters of Mercy Collaborate
 
Arden, NC (February 12, 2009)— Tim Johnston, President and CEO of Sisters of Mercy Services Corporation, and Jimm Bunch, President and CEO of Park Ridge Hospital are pleased to announce the operation of a new Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care at 77 Airport Road beginning April 1. This location is currently operated by Park Ridge Hospital as an Urgent Care facility. The Airport Road site offers patients, business, and industry convenience and access to quality treatment of minor illness and injuries by expanding Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care’s existing network which includes:

• Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care-West, 1201 Patton Avenue, Asheville
• Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care-North, 155 Weaver Boulevard, Weaverville
• Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care-South & Health Designs Occupational Medicine, 1812 Hendersonville Road, Asheville

“The collaboration of Park Ridge Hospital with Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care is a natural fit as these two faith-based organizations continue to meet the healthcare needs of WNC while focusing on their respective strengths,” noted Paul Tax, Executive Director of Operations for Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care. Jimm Bunch added, “We all need to focus on our core strengths to provide the highest quality service. This is what our friends at Sisters of Mercy do best.”

The Sisters of Mercy have owned and operated urgent care centers successfully in Buncombe County for nearly 30 years and served Western North Carolina’s healthcare and service needs since 1900. In addition to Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care, Sisters of Mercy Services Corporation includes ARP/Phoenix Behavioral Health and Substance Abuse Services (Assessment, Treatment, Prevention and Crisis Stabilization/Detox), Mountain Health Contracting general contractors, and the Catherine McAuley MERCY Foundation. Additional information is available at www.somsc.org or www.urgentcares.org or by calling 828-210-2121.

Park Ridge Hospital is an acute care facility that has provided superior medical care with Christian compassion since 1910. The hospital is one of 37 hospitals in the U.S. belonging to Adventist Health System. For more information about Park Ridge Hospital, or about other hospital services, visit www.parkridgehospital.org. To request a copy of the Park Ridge Hospital Medical Staff Directory, contact the Business Development office at (828) 687-3947.