San Ysidro Health opens new urgent care center

Coming to Chula Vista on Dec. 28, San Ysidro Health is opening its newest facility San Ysidro Health Urgent Care. The new facility is staffed with board-certified emergency room physicians and provides treatment for common, non-life threatening illnesses. Located at 333 H. Street, the new urgent care center is open every day from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. with no appointments necessary.
San Ysidro Health CEO/President Kevin Mattson said this is a partnership between San Ysidro Health, Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista and the emergency physicians that practice at Scripps hospital.

“The intent of this program is to help divert patients that are accessing the emergency department for services that really do not require an emergency department hospital,” said Mattson.

“So many people uninsured, on Medi-Cal, use the emergency room as their primary care. That emergency room has become their doctor’s office. Rather than trying to set up an appointment with the clinic, they go to work and when they get off, they go directly to the emergency room.”

Mattson said Scripps’ emergency room is overcrowded, and this gets people that should not be in the emergency room into a lower level of care and through the system quicker. This way the true emergencies can be treated in the emergency room.

“We anticipate seeing about 100 patients a day there so hopefully we can move 100 patients away from the emergency room and into the urgent care,” he said. “We can get them in and out quickly and connect them with their primary care physician. Many patients do not know who their PCP is.”

San Ysidro Health Vice President of External Affairs Ans Melgoza said Mattson and its board are committed to be assessable to as many people as possible. She said as other health providers have seen a stop in services, San Ysidro Health is expanding.

“We are 2,000 strong and we are hiring in El Cajon and Chula Vista,” she said. “We want to hire from the community we operate. In any other universe this would be unheard of, but in our universe, now more than ever. The clinic is for everyone. And right now, everyone needs our help. We have been fortunate that many of our patients have stayed with us forever. They want to stay with us because of all the services that we provide.”

 

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