Clinic will offer extended hours

Mercy Family Clinic is about to offer busy families a better option when it comes to fitting in provider appointments.Officials announced last week that beginning next Monday, the clinic will remain open until 7 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays and even more extended hours will be offered in the near  future.On Sept. 19, the clinic will remain open until 7 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays.Mercy recently conducted a “Community Health Needs Assessment” to evaluate the current healthcare needs of the community.  One of the high priority areas Mercy committed to working on is the convenience of appointments at Mercy Family Clinic.  "There are so many things that can happen throughout the day, from an injury to a sudden illness and we want to make sure our patients have more accessibility at the clinic later in the day," Mercy Clinic Manager Jessica Flanscha said in a press release. "We want to increase our access and make it more convenient for our patients to come to Mercy Family Clinic."Extended hours will be staffed by nurse practitioners Lacey McGrath and Shanelle Pedersen.  Appointments from 5 to 7 p.m. will be available for acute (sudden illness or injury), same-day appointments.  The extended hours will allow acute care to be provided locally in the appropriate setting, which should decrease unnecessary trips to the emergency room or driving out of town to an urgent care center.  In addition, Bennett Pharmacy announced last week that it, too, will offer extended hours in an effort to “more closely align” with clinic hours.The pharmacy, beginning next Monday, will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. and from 1 to 7 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays. On other weekdays, Bennett will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. and from 1 to 5 p.m.