Keweenaw Report Your Source for Local News and Sports
Accidents and illnesses don’t take the weekend off and barring a trip to the emergency room, there aren’t a lot of options for residents in the Calumet area to see a doctor without having to make an appointment.
UP Health System—Portage is now serving patients at their new Express Care clinic in Calumet Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays from 8am to 8pm.
A ribbon cutting ceremony was held Saturday where visitors were granted a tour of the facility and treated to a free lunch.
Emergency Department and Express Care Director Dr. Tara Robinette says the clinic is ready to provide care for a wide variety of complaints. “Sore throats, urinary tract issues/infections, coughs, back pain, headaches, and along with that we see musculoskeletal complaints—so like someone fell and sprained their wrist, sprained their ankle—we can do x-rays of extremities and we can do chest x-rays also, which is new compared to the Express Care in Houghton,” said Dr. Robinette.
The weekend and Monday hours give patients an opportunity to get medical treatment right away. “We saw a need for weekend care that’s not in the emergency department and especially up here in the Calumet area. We have the Express Care in Houghton, which is frequently full and busy, and so we saw a need for care for patients to get in and out, get affordable care that’s cheaper than the emergency department, and not have to wait until the weekday to get to their regular doctor,” Robinette said.
Most insurances are accepted and the cost of visiting the Express Care is far cheaper than a trip to the emergency room. Robinette said, “It’s a $55 flat fee and that includes seeing the nurse practitioner or physician, checking your urine, get an influenza swab, strep swab—but if you need an x-ray or something additional like that, it is an extra cost.”
The UP Health System – Portage Express Care clinic is located at the Calumet Medical Office building on US-41.
