Imperial Valley Press

Townhall discusses possibilit­y of urgent care in Calexico

- BY VINCENT OSUNA Staff Writer

CALEXICO —A 24hour urgent care center opening up within the city is becoming more of a possibilit­y, as the Heffernan Memorial Healthcare District ( HMHD) is now looking into opening one.

The district held a townhall meeting Saturday to gather input from the public.

At the end of the meeting, the HMHD board of directors unanimousl­y directed the district’s executive director to implement any preliminar­y steps in the scope of work, including soliciting urgent care consultant­s, letters of interest, analysis of projected costs and other informatio­n necessary for the considerat­ion of establishi­ng an HMHD urgent care center.

Saturday’s meeting provided direction to the district and discussed the significan­ce of an urgent care center being created here.

With there being no hospital or after- hours medical centers in Calexico, HMHD General Manager Tomas Virgen said he felt that a 24- hour, 365- day center would be ideal.

Virgen noted, however, that one needs to be realistic and consider that paying the needed staff to operate such a center will be costly.

Mayor Rosie Arreola- Fernandez, a local nurse for 16 years, recalled there was a previous attempt within the city to open an urgent care clinic with Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District.

Arreola- Fernandez said there wasn’t enough patient traffic during the evenings to keep that clinic open.

“The patents weren’t coming in,” she said. “PMH decided to divorce us. The numbers were not there.”

Arreola- Fernandez then asked whether HMHD would be partnering with any agencies to fund the proposed center.

Dr. Jorge F. Robles, of the center Imperial Valley Family

Care Medical Group ( IVFCM), said he and IVCFM would want to partner with HMHD to create a center.

IVCFM has two sites — one here and one in El Centro. According to Robles, IVFCM is a full- time center with El Centro Regional Medical Center.

Robles emphasized that IVCFM is based locally, and not out of Yuma or San Diego.

“I urge you to look at someone that is part of you — somebody that is not here for a buck,” Robles told the board.”

The doctor remembered that on April 28,

he had an enlighteni­ng conversion with a Calexico firefighte­r at the emergency room.

The firefighte­r told Robles the ambulance he was using had a half million miles on it.

Robles explained to the board that an urgent care center would reduce the number of hospital trips the Calexico Fire Department makes.

 ?? PHOTO VINCENT OSUNA ?? Calexico City Councilwom­an Gloria G. Romo speaks during He ernan Memorial Healthcare District’s townhall meeting on Saturday in Calexico.
PHOTO VINCENT OSUNA Calexico City Councilwom­an Gloria G. Romo speaks during He ernan Memorial Healthcare District’s townhall meeting on Saturday in Calexico.

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