Prompt Care Labeled A Success By Sonora Regional Medical Center

Sonora, CA — People are getting the message about the appropriate use of Prompt Care facilities as compared to emergency rooms.

That´s the word from Sonora Regional Medical Center´s Vice President for Business Planning and Marketing Doug Duffield. According to Duffield there was great concern on the part of the general public that S.R.M.C.´s Emergency Department would be overwhelmed with the June 30 closing of Tuolumne General Hospital and its emergency room.

A year ago the S.R.M.C. Emergency Department serviced approximately 22,000 patients. During that same time period 11,000 individuals were admitted to the emergency room at T.G.H.

Given that scenario, S.R.M.C. opened a prompt care facility located on Forest Rd. directly across from the Mother Lode Fairgrounds. S.R.M.C. also has a prompt care facility in east Sonora at Indian Rock on Mono Way. In addition, S.R.M.C. authored a program to educate the public as to when to utilize a prompt care facility as compared to an emergency room.

Duffield notes there has only been an 11% increase in number of Emergency Department patients at S.R.M.C. since the July 1 transition. The prompt care facilities have seen a 42% increase.

Written by Bill Johnson