Two Harbors will soon have urgent care services

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Soon Lake County residents will be able to use urgent care facilities within the county, instead of driving to Duluth or Canada.

The Lake View Hospital in Two Harbors announced last week that it intends to open an urgent care clinic sometime early this summer. The hospital is expected to offer its urgent care services seven days a week, with hours between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m., though hours are subject to change depending on patient demand.

Brian Carlson, president and CEO of the hospital, says plans have been in the works for about two or three years to offer urgent care services because of consumer demand.

Urgent care centers offer treatment for minor illness and injuries that aren’t so severe that the patient needs to receive care in the emergency department. Often times urgent care services are utilized when a patient might have to wait a couple of days before seeing a family physician.

Depending on a patient’s insurance plan, urgent care services can sometimes be less expensive than a trip to the emergency room. When a patient comes in, a nurse will determine whether or not the patient needs urgent care or emergency room care dependent upon symptoms.

Currently, the closest city that offers urgent care services is Duluth. The Cook County North Shore Hospital & Care Center in Grand Marais does not have an urgent care center, but does offer emergency room services. That leaves anyone in Cook and Lake Counties to drive to Duluth if they want urgent care services.

The urgent care unit will be located in the emergency department of the Lake View Memorial Hospital on Highway 2 in Two Harbors. The urgent care department will be staffed by a physician. The addition of urgent care services is expected to create two or three new positions with the hospital.

The opening day of the urgent care services will be announced in the coming weeks.

Tags: lake view hospital, two harbors, news, health