Phoenix airport urgent care ready to treat ailing flyers
PHOENIX – The nation’s first fullservice urgent care located in an airport is opening at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
The urgent care, located in Terminal 4, is equipped to offer patients physicals, drug tests, lab tests, X-rays and prescriptions, as well as treat numerous ailments and injuries.
The USCareWays facility is geared toward travelers and employees and primarily will take patients on a walkin basis. “It’s all about convenience,” said Megan Lamy, a USCareWays spokeswoman.
Business travelers or vacationers who may not have providers in Phoenix can see someone at the airport and continue with their trip, she said. They can even have an X-ray taken at the facility. For those feeling nervous about a flight, the clinic also will be available to treat anxiety, Lamy said. She said about 100,000 travelers come through Terminal 4 each day, so it made sense to open such a facility. “Here, it’s a one-stop shop,” Lamy said.
The clinic also will feature a virtual care option. If someone is short on time due to a flight, they’ll be able to fill out a form online and meet via videochat with a provider who may be able to prescribe medication.
Ear infections, respiratory issues, cold, cough, abrasions and the flu are common cases the urgent care is expecting to see. Travelers would also be able to receive vaccines at the facility.
“They can come in quickly and be treated,” Lamy said.
The clinic accepts insurance from all major providers, including Medicare.
Pedro Molina is a medical assistant who helped prepare the facility for its Friday opening. “I found the opportunity really interesting,” he said. “I know very few locations in airports where there are care services.”
David Whipple, an X-ray technician, said the convenience should be a major draw. “Travelers don’t have to rush to an urgent care,” Whipple said. “They can just come in, be seen and fly home.”
One of the biggest challenges for the clinic was finding the 1,600 square feet of space needed. But collaboration with city officials, airport officials and its partner Paradies Lagardère, a travel retail company, helped make it happen, Lamy said. USCareWays is a subtenant at Sky Harbor.
The facility will be staffed with licensed nurse practitioners, technicians, medical assistants and rotating physicians.
USCareWays and city officials said the facility is the first fully equipped urgent care in a U.S. airport.
More information can be found on the USCareWays website.