The new King’s Daughters Medical Center Quick Care Clinic had astrong start Wednesday with a steady flow of patients throughoutthe day.

“We’ve had about 10 people sitting in the waiting room all day,”said Johnny Rainer, clinic manager and business developmentcoordinator for KDMC. “It’s been exciting. We’ve had the phoneringing and patients all day, so it’s obviously been wellreceived.”

The clinic is designed to treat a broad range of minor injuriesand illnesses to support the local medical community by providingcare to patients when their primary physician is unavailable.

“We don’t want to be seen or perceived as an alternative to theexisting medical community,” Rainer said. “We want to be able tosupplement and support the specialists in the area. We hope peoplecan come in, be seen and leave within one hour. That’s ourgoal.”

Minor lacerations that require stitching, sprained limbs orbroken bones, general illnesses such as colds and flu and thetreatment of existing injuries already seen by the patient’sprimary physician are the most common situations likely to bepresented to the clinic staff, Rainer said. Patients treated at theclinic are urged to visit their primary physician for any necessaryfollow-up treatments.

“We’re excited to have the clinic open. We feel it will meet aneed in the community,” said KDMC Chief Executive Officer PhillipGrady. “The operating hours will make it convenient for people notable to get in during traditional hours.”

The Quick Care Clinic is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondaythrough Friday, 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. onSunday.

The extended hours will also relieve pressure on the hospital’semergency room on weekends, Grady said. He stressed, however, theclinic itself is not capable of handling life-threateninginjuries.

“This is not an emergency room,” he said. “If they havelife-threatening injuries, they still need to go to the KDMCER.”

The Quick Care Clinic, located across Biglane Drive from thehospital, replaces a clinic closed by the hospital Feb. 24, Rainersaid. The new clinic will be able to treat a broader range ofillnesses and injuries than the former clinic after Dr. BernardBoca joined the staff Feb. 1.

The Quick Care Clinic staff also includes Family NursePractitioners Dana Lambert and Tina Reed-Hearn and NursePractitioner Michelle Ash, who staffed the former clinic. Otherstaff members include two licensed practical nurses, two clinicalmedical assistants and two administrators.

An expansion of the clinic is planned for July, when a secondphysician is expected to join the staff. The clinic is alsoexpected to begin offering occupational health services, such asinjury management, workers compensation care and drug screeningthat month.

A study completed by the hospital last year indicated a need forthe medical community to work more closely with industry leaders,Rainer said.

“The Brookhaven market is small, but there is considerabledemand for these services,” he said.

A successful Quick Care Clinic in Brookhaven could be aprecursor for further expansion, Rainer said.

“It would be great to have a clinic in some of the surroundingcommunities that maybe don’t have adequate medical services,” hesaid.

Medical communities that could benefit from their supplementaland support services would likely include Copiah, Franklin andLawrence counties, he said.