Dexter hospital opens new convenient care clinic

Immediate care clinics are popping up throughout Southeast Missouri -- Doctors Express opened in Cape Girardeau in July, and Southeast Hospital and Saint Francis Medical Center each operate walk-in clinics -- but Missouri Southern Healthcare is the latest provider offering quick health care.

The Dexter, Mo., hospital opened the Clinic at Walmart in late 2010, offering the community's first walk-in clinic for acute health care needs. The clinic, inside the Walmart on U.S. 60 in Dexter, is open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday. The clinic is staffed by family nurse practitioners Matthew Moses and Amber Thorne and overseen by Dr. Gupreet Boparai.

According to Moses, a sister facility in Georgia recently opened a Walmart clinic, and it was a big hit in the small, rural community.

"It seemed like it would be a great fit for our community as well," he says. "We saw a need in this area because there wasn't an after-hours clinic option for non-emergent illnesses. By opening this clinic, we have extended the hours of care to the community, providing an alternative to the emergency room in acute situations such as sore throat, earaches and flu."

Moses says the clinic has received positive feedback from patients and health care providers.

"Like all communities, we are constantly looking for improved access to health care, especially those who experience barriers such as no or limited health insurance or the inability to seek health care without missing multiple days of work," says Moses. "Dexter is no different. This is a hardworking community and I think the role of the nurse practitioner was created to meet just that need."

Still, the success of the new clinic has indicated a continued need for affordable access to health care, and Moses says many more convenient care clinics are needed in the area.