Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/13061
JULY 2010 HEALTH & HAPPINESS 58 BUSINESS & MONEY : BUSINESS PROFILE HELPING HANDS WRITTEN BY CRISTINA DE LEÓN-MENJIVAR PHOTOGRAPHED BY HARTONO TAI When it comes to addressing urgent and chronic health issues, everyone knows waiting at an emergency room can be frustrating and time-consuming. This city is home to many small clinics who provide a wide range of services to ensure residents always walk away with a clean bill of health. Cathy Gies, CEO of Memorial Healthcare, said most patients in the E.R. can easily be treated at a smaller care clinic. "The E.R. gets congested with people who don't necessarily need to be there," Gies said. By visiting smaller clinics, not only can a pending health issue be quickly addressed, but many find they can also obtain useful preventative health education for the future. SERVING THE PUBLIC Since 1998, Willow Urgent Care has been helping insured and uninsured persons obtain healthcare at an affordable rate by offering an alternative to emergency room care. According to Gies, by going to an urgent care clinic instead of an emergency room for infections, broken arms or IVs, patients can save time and money by avoiding long waits and expensive co-pays. The clinic opened with the intention of offering Memorial Healthcare patients an alternative after-hours clinic, but soon realized that nearly two-thirds of the patients coming to the clinic were not insured by Memorial Healthcare, nor did they have a physician they could go to. For this reason, they have become a community clinic, and accept cash and Medicare patients as well as most insurance plans. To expand its connection to the community, in October 2009, Memorial Healthcare opened the Willow Wellness Center, a community health center that offers comprehensive programs to treat illnesses, as well as classes and support groups. Half of the Center space is also dedicated to the new Senior Center, which has been steadily gaining popularity due to its variety of activities and classes. One of the most popular classes is the senior yoga class, which attracts both men and women. Tommy Thomson is a regular at the yoga class, and said that just a month ago, arthritis prevented her from being able to bend one of her fingers. To ease her symptoms, her doctor recommended she practice yoga. After just several weeks of taking senior yoga classes at the Center, she has been able to regain flexibility in her hand, and is extremely pleased with the other benefits that come with regular yoga practice. "Yoga is so good because it increases flexibility and is so relaxing," Thomson said. "This is the best thing the doctor has recommended, and I am so grateful." Thomson joins many other seniors at the Center's senior yoga classes, which are offered every weekday morning. Aside from yoga, the Center offers a variety of activities for seniors, such as art classes, fitness assessments, and regular Wii and Texas Hold 'Em poker competitions. Although the Center is part of Memorial Healthcare, it is open to the public. Gies says that the Center opened to give seniors an opportunity to socialize and improve WILLOW WELLNESS CENTER