Three years ago, Sawyer Gay was lifting weights after school when he felt a sharp pain along his rib cage. After calling his parents, he drove to an orthopedic clinic with urgent care services. But the receptionist said they were too busy to see him that afternoon, he says. So his parents suggested he go to UNC Urgent Care at Flowers, not far from where they lived. The nurse practitioner who saw him ordered a chest X-ray and told Sawyer she would be in touch with results. “About 30 minutes after I got home, she called and asked me to come back with my parents,” says Sawyer, now 23. “I thought I popped a muscle. But the X-ray showed a lesion on my ribs.”
With a referral in hand, Sawyer saw a medical oncologist the next day and began chemotherapy. Since his treatment, he’s been cancer-free, he says. While he may have forgotten the name of the medical provider, Sawyer remembers the thorough and thoughtful care he received at the urgent care. “I’m glad they were there for me,” he says.
Reid Stephenson, CEO of Flowers Plantation, says the urgent care and the adjoining primary care clinic are a great benefit to the community. Just recently, he was seen at the urgent care after getting a gash on his scalp. “The people are always friendly, and it’s convenient,” he says.
A ROCKY START
A week after opening on March 9, 2020, the clinics faced their toughest challenge. Cases of the coronavirus were trickling into North Carolina, and the Governor moved quickly to declare a state of emergency. It came with orders to try and stem the spread of illness by closing schools, businesses, churches, government buildings and other gathering places.
“Suddenly we had to rethink our operations,” said Wendy Gatewood, a director of operations for UNC Physicians Network. The primary care team switched from in-person to virtual visits. In the parking lot, the urgent care team treated and tested patients while in their cars. “I don’t know how we did it. It took lots of collaboration, resources, flexibility and a mindset and willingness to take care of patients,” she says. “Every day was different, and we were constantly regrouping.”
The Flowers site became a respiratory diagnostic center where patients could receive monoclonal antibody treatments for COVID infections. Nurses from the education department at UNC Health Johnston in Smithfield came over to do the infusions. “We were treating sick patients on one side and giving infusions on the other,” she says. “Our teams were doing everything they could for the community.” Throughout the pandemic, the community was receptive and appreciative to the clinics for what they did, she adds. “They were thankful we were there.”
MEETING A NEW CHALLENGE WROUGHT BY GROWTH
Today, the challenge at Flowers is meeting the growing demand for access to health care services. Ricky Byrd, a director of operations for UNC Physicians Network, says the organization is looking at adding 5,000 square feet to the building and recruiting four more providers. “I’m constantly amazed at the growth I see in retail spaces, restaurants and new neighborhoods,” says Byrd, a former resident of Flowers. “It just keeps getting bigger and better.”
In fact, Byrd was at the homeowners’ association meeting about eight years ago when someone first brought up the prospect of bringing a doctors’ office to the community. Members of the audience were tossing around names of Raleigh and Durham hospitals that might be interested. Byrd piped up and suggested UNCPN. Byrd says he and Stephenson talked after the meeting, which led to more formal discussions with senior UNCPN leaders, and eventually, a development plan and a building site overlooking the pond.
GROWING HEALTH CARE SERVICES
Stephenson says developing a retirement center is part of the vision for expanding health care services at Flowers Plantation to an aging population. These would include independent-living cottages and apartments, assisted-living and full, 24/7 nursing care. “It’s definitely a priority,” he says. “We want our residents to stay here and get the care they need.”
Hours at the primary care clinic are: Monday, Wednesday & Thursday, from 7 a.m. till 7 p.m.; and Tuesdays & Fridays from 7:30 a.m. till 5:30 p.m. Hours at the urgent care clinic are: 8am-8pm every day except Christmas. On all other holidays, the clinic closes at 4 p.m.
UNC PRIMARY CARE & UNC URGENT CARE CLINICS AT YOUR SERVICE
If you’re new to Flowers Plantation, your to-do list may be lengthy: Enrolling kids in school, finding a place of worship, setting up a mailing address with the post office. But the most important task may be establishing a primary care home. UNC Primary Care and UNC Urgent Care at Flowers are under the same roof at 37 Pineville Blvd., near the intersection of N.C. 42 East and Buffalo Road.
What sets them apart?
“We have a team approach to patient care,” says Candice Grant, urgent care manager. “Our providers, clinical and registration staff from both clinics support one another and work together to make sure our patients receive the best care.” In addition to acute care for non-emergency type conditions, the urgent care clinic also offers sports physicals, DOT and non-DOT physicals, vision and hearing screenings and TB skins tests.
Kaneshia Campbell, practice manager, says primary care patients like having an urgent care clinic in the same building. “It’s not easy to get an appointment with your primary care provider when you’re sick,” she says. “We work together to offer integrated care and an introduction to the services and specialists of UNC Health.”
