UConn Health opened its new Urgent Care Center this week on Royce Circle in Storrs Center, offering walk-in medical care for the community.

“Urgent care is ideal for non-life-threatening conditions that need immediate attention, including colds and flu, strep throat, cuts that need attention, sprains, and much more,” says Dr. Frank LaSala, an accomplished emergency medicine physician who has seen patients at UConn Health in Farmington for more than 30 years and is now the medical director of the Urgent Care Center in Storrs Center.

Along with LaSala, patients will be seen by Dr. Craig Ryan, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and family medicine and emergency medicine physicians with UConn Health. Currently, the Urgent Care Center is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and walk-ins are welcome.

It is expected that the Urgent Care Center will expand its hours in the fall, when more staff join the UConn Health faculty.

“Nationally, urgent care centers have become increasingly popular because they allow customers to seek medical care on their schedule. In turn, this eases the burden on primary care offices where scheduling demands can make it difficult to accommodate walk-in, emergent cases,” says Jim Thibeault, UConn Health’s director of strategy and planning.

The opening of the Urgent Care Center marks the second major initiative for UConn Health in Storrs Center. A medical office opened in December, featuring primary care, family medicine, occupational medicine, orthopaedics, and cardiology, including echo cardiogram testing. In addition, patients can schedule outpatient appointments with specialists in general surgery and plastic and reconstructive surgery, and a blood drawing station and x-ray services are available.

Additional clinical services will become available later this year:

• OB/GYN services will be offered, starting in May, in the medical office.
• UConn Health Dental Services, a dental suite with five treatment rooms offering general dentistry services, is expected to open in July.
• Dermatology, and psychiatry services will be available at UConn Health’s medical office in the future.

“Combined, the Urgent Care Center, dental services, and medical offices will provide additional specialty services currently not widely available in the greater Storrs community,” Thibeault adds. “In addition to serving the public, this opens up an opportunity for students to see specialists, as well as a medical resource for faculty and staff at UConn.”

Learn more at storrscenter.uchc.edu.

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