Walk-in Clinic Fills Medical Gap in N.M.

Aug. 28--As a tourist town with many seasonal residents and visitors who only stay a few days weeks at a time, Ruidoso presents a challenge to those providing health care to its varied population.

Lincoln County Medical Center officials hope a walk-in clinic in the professional building across El Paso Road from the hospital will fill the gap and redirect non-urgent medical situations away from the hospital emergency room. Using the emergency room is the most expensive way to see a doctor and can take up space needed by others suffering true medical emergencies, they point out.

Amber Watts, a wife and mother of four, is the nurse practitioner who sees patients at the clinic.

"We're offering a walk-in clinic for patients ranging from newborn to geriatrics," she said during a recent interview. "Our focus is primary care and non-urgent care. Non-urgent care could include sinus and urinary tract infections, sore throats. Things of that nature that are non-emergent."

With the hospital nearby, any needed tests can be arranged and a blood laboratory is just down the hall in the professional building called the Lincoln County Medical Complex. With the opening of that building in November, several specialists also either are establishing full-time offices or are visiting on a routine basis, including cardiology physicians with Presbyterian Healthcare Services.

The day of the interview, several mothers were waiting with their babies in the clinic for their appointments.

Watts attended the University of South Alabama, then moved to Wyoming to finish her training for three years, before moving to Ruidoso. She arrived in March, began her job in April and the clinic opened in July.

"My training is family practice nurse practitioner from newborns to senior adults," she said. "My background in nursing is rural. I have worked in a critical access hospital (the same designation as LCMC) and my focus there was a lot of labor and delivery, so I have background in women's health as well."

Terry Riehl, the practice administrator, who oversees all of the rural and Ruidoso clinics, said the walk-in clinic is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. "We end at 4 p.m., to make sure we can see all of the patients," Riehl said.

Regular appointments can be set up for any day of the week, Monday through Friday.

"You walk in and we work you into the schedule," Riehl said of the three walk-in days. The thrust is to redirect non-emergency situations to the clinic, instead of the hospital emergency room.

"But if they come in and we find it is an emergent and should be seen in the emergency room, we would send them back over there," Watts said.

"Depending on the emergency, (Emergency Medical Services) could be called to transfer them over there even though it is just across the street."

The clinic accepts all types of commercial and government insurance.

"If they don't have a regular doctor, they can establish with Amber to be their primary care doctor," Riehl said. "We see all types of insurance plans, we see indigent patients and all different insurance companies."

"I see a lot of people who visit here for a couple of months in the summer time or who are just passing through and they have a need and don't want to have to go the emergency room, (such as) children with sore throats, who just need a little medicine," Watts said. "Some others say they will be here next year too and would you mind being on my health care team, and I would be happy to do that."

Copyright 2014 - Ruidoso News, N.M.