This past week, ExperCARE Founder and CEO, Catherine Grant was featured on WTOC.

Article: Urgent cares see increase in patients due to high wait times at emergency rooms

BRYAN COUNTY, Ga. (WTOC) – Emergency rooms in our area are being overwhelmed with patients every day.

WTOC checked in with urgent care providers to see how this is affecting them.

The CEO of Expercare said their urgent care facilities in Bryan and Chatham counties saw a surge of patients during peak COVID times but now they’re starting to see a normal influx of patients walking through their doors.

Catherine Grant says everyone can help with high emergency room wait times by coming to urgent cares when experiencing minor issues.

She says they can see anywhere from 30 to 100 patients a day but wait times in the urgent cares are much shorter than in emergency rooms.

She says any time you’ve been in a trauma related accident or feel like you have a life-threatening emergency you should go to the hospital.

“If you’ve got sudden loss of vision or sudden vision changes or sudden stumbling, something that’s indicating something going on in the brain. Sub sternal chest pain that radiating to the shoulder and concerns for that potentially being a heart attack,” said Grant.

She says it’s vital the community works together during this healthcare crisis.

Copyright 2023 WTOC. All rights reserved.

LINK: https://www.wtoc.com/2023/02/17/urgent-cares-see-increase-patients-due-high-wait-times-emergency-rooms/

In honor of Black History Month, we are featuring four black healthcare innovators and pioneers you should know about!

  

Dr. Jane Cooke Wright

1. Dr. Jane Cooke Wright

The daughter of one of the first African American graduates of Harvard Medical School, Wright grew up with a keen interest in healthcare. Her father, Dr. Louis Wright, was also the first Black doctor appointed to a staff position at a municipal hospital in New York City, and in 1929, the city hired him as police surgeon — the first African American to hold that position.
After earning her medical degree, Dr. Jane Cooke Wright worked alongside her father at the Cancer Research Foundation in Harlem, which her father established in 1948. Together, father and daughter researched chemotherapy drugs that led to remissions in patients with leukemia and lymphoma.

In 1952, when her father died of tuberculosis, Wright became the head of the Cancer Research Foundation at age 33. She created an innovative technique to test the effect of drugs on cancer cells by using patient tissue rather than laboratory mice. She advanced to work as the director of cancer chemotherapy at New York University Medical Center, and she was an associate dean at New York Medical College.

The New York Cancer Society elected Wright as its first woman president in 1971. Her research helped transform chemotherapy from a last resort to a viable treatment for cancer. {site: Everydayhealth.com}

 

Otis Boykin

2. Otis Boykin

The inventor Otis Boykin patented 28 electronic devices during his career. He developed resistors for electronic components that made the production of televisions and computers much more affordable, but Boykin became best known for improving the pacemaker. The pacemaker uses electrical impulses to help people maintain a regular heartbeat. Boykin came up with a control unit that regulated the pacemaker with more precision. He died of heart failure in 1982. {site: Everydayhealth.com}

 

Dr. Patricia Bath

3. Dr. Patricia Bath

Patricia Bath was the first African American to complete an ophthalmology residency with New York University’s School of Medicine, in 1973. Two years later, the UCLA School of Medicine appointed her as the first female faculty member in its department of ophthalmology. Believing that “eyesight is a basic human right,” Dr. Bath went on to cofound the American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness.

In the early 1980s, Bath studied laser technology and saw its potential for eye surgery. In 1986, she invented the Laserphaco probe, a device and method for cataract treatments. When she patented the instrument, in 1988, she became the first African American female doctor to receive a patent for a medical invention. {site: Everydayhealth.com}

 

Mae Jemison

4. Mae Jemison

Dr. Mae Jemison is most famous for becoming the first Black woman astronaut to go into space, in 1992. Jemison, however, is also a trained physician who has dedicated her life to improving global health.

Jemison joined the Peace Corps in 1983 and worked as a medical officer for two years in Africa. Her work in the Peace Corps taught her about healthcare in developing countries. Later, as an astronaut, she learned about satellite telecommunications. She combined those two skill sets to form the Jemison Group, which develops telecommunications systems to improve healthcare delivery in developing countries.

Jemison says she takes inspiration from Martin Luther King Jr. in focusing on what she sees as unacceptable disparities in the quality of healthcare in the United States and third-world nations. “We talk about taking proper care of people, but we don’t do it,” she said. “We lack the commitment. Martin Luther King was about doing things. He didn’t just have a dream, he got things done.” {site: Everydayhealth.com}

To learn about even more black healthcare pioneers and, click here.
(https://www.everydayhealth.com/healthy-living/african-american-pioneers-who-changed-healthcare/)

ExperCARE Health is a longtime supporter of The Ronald McDonald House Charities and has renewed their partnership for the 2022 year. After a challenging year, RMH Charities hold a special place in the heart of ExperCARE CEO and Founder, Catherine Grant.

“We are grateful to be able to support the Ronald McDonald House again this year. The work they are doing in our community, and beyond, makes such a meaningful impact to the families they serve,’ shares Grant,  ‘Last year, I got to understand on a more personal level the enormous blessing the Ronald McDonald House is, shortly after my niece was born at only 31 weeks. My sister and brother-in-law were able to stay there, very close to the children’s hospital in Philadelphia, so that they could focus all their time and energy on our sweet Mabry throughout her time in the NICU. The house provided an incredible home away from home for them during a very challenging time. We will forever be grateful to them and are honored to help pay that forward to hopefully bless others in their time of need.”

The Ronald McDonald House in Savannah provides a home away from home for seriously ill or injured children and their families who are receiving treatment at local area hospitals. “We’re serving every illness and injury in children from newborns to 22 years of age, said RMH CEO and Executive Director, Bill Sorochak. “Every dollar raised and donated to Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Coastal Empire stays here in our community, not a single penny leaves. With our newest Corporate Sponsor, ExperCARE, their sponsorship & donations are making an immediate impact in our mission, and we can see that in our families’ faces.”

 

Last year, the Ronald McDonald House provided 4,500 family-night stays. The Savannah House has been serving families since 1987, and with its 13 rooms, compassionate and dedicated staff, it may be the most important house a child will ever visit. To learn more about Ronald McDonald House, and the good they do in our community, click here.

 

SAVANNAH, Ga. (February 17, 2022) – Step One Automotive Group will present their Local Hero Award to ExperCARE Physician Assistant Donna McAllister during their monthly Grab-n-Go Meal event for first responders on Friday, February 18th from 11am to 2:00pm at Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM Fiat’s location at 1101 Chatham Parkway, Savannah GA.

“Step One Auto is proud to present our Local Hero Award to Donna McAllister. We express our gratitude for medical workers who worked tirelessly for the past two years. Donna is an example for all of us,” said Step One Automotive Group Marketing Manager Maja Ciric. “Being able to recognize and award Donna with a $500 gift card, a JEEP Gladiator for the weekend and complimentary dinner at Ardsley Station during our monthly Grab-n-Go Meals is an honor.”

“Recently, a patient with Dementia came into ExperCARE for an ear impaction. The patient’s caregiver explained that the patient was leery of strangers and didn’t like being touched. Donna went above and beyond, caring for the patient from the moment she entered the clinic, until the moment she walked out, ensuring that she would only have to interact with one person during her whole visit. She took the time to introduce herself, and chat casually with the patient until she felt comfortable being approached and treated. After the patient left the clinic, we received a call from the caregiver thanking us for Donna’s incredible care; the patient was in a great mood for the rest of the day,” shared ExperCARE CEO and founder Catherine Grant. “From her tireless work ethic and commitment to upholding the ExperCARE standard throughout the pandemic, Donna consistently embodies the core values of our organization. We are thrilled that she is being recognized as a local hero.”

The Award presentation is at 12 noon with interview availability following a brief ceremony.

Also – Step One Auto will serve delicious cooked fresh meals from popular and locally owned food truck Chazitos while abiding by social distancing standards. You can sign up for your meal by clicking https://conta.cc/3LgGTO4

Step One Automotive Group is focused on customer excellence, employee satisfaction and being an integral part of the community in which they operate. Dedicated to being involved in the local community, they have become strategic partners with the U.S. Army FM WR Fort Stewart & Hunter AAF by supporting and sponsoring events and activities for military families. Step One Automotive Group has an extensive selection of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram and Fiat vehicles for sale at the best prices in the Low Country area. They also offer a great selection of pre-owned vehicles in every price range from pre-auction specials, to luxury pre-owned vehicles.

What could be more immediate than your health? What could be a more pressing and time-sensitive issue? And yet, for decades the health industry expected patients to wait for hours in an emergency room or for weeks to make an appointment with their regular provider.

We saw this dilemma on the faces of my friends and family members who turned to us for help with their medical issues because they had nowhere else to go. It’s what inspired us to find a solution by opening our first urgent care location in June of 2009. The concept was simple, and effective. Quality, on-demand healthcare. No appointment necessary. No long waits. You can use your insurance, or pay affordable cash rates. But above all, access to quality healthcare you can trust, before a small problem festers and becomes a bigger one.

Nearly 12 years later, ExperCARE’s continuous expansion and growth supports the concept of  on-demand healthcare filling a much needed void in our healthcare system and in our communities. In a country that has same-day delivery for goods and services and instant delivery of entertainment, why should we wait three weeks, and sometimes three months(!!) to address a medical concern?

And yet, around the country, many people continue to wait because they don’t have access to the type of on-demand, high-quality healthcare that ExperCARE provides. According to a Merritt Hawkins study in 2017, a survey conducted in 15 major cities and 15 mid-sized markets of the United States, on average, it takes 24 days for new patients to get an appointment with a physician. That wait is even longer in Savannah, which averages 35 days. The study found that even cities with the highest doctor-to-patient ratios had long wait times.

Patients seek on-demand healthcare because of their busy schedules and the unpredictable nature of illnesses and injuries. Many can’t afford to take time off work to see a doctor or don’t want to cash in their hard-earned vacation time to sit in a waiting room.  This is one reason why our customers and their families love that we are open seven days a week, extended hours. In addition, our facilities are also open throughout the workweek to maximize availability when it is most convenient!

Did you know that at ExperCARE, we also partner with and support employers with their occupational health programs by offering a full-range of services such as drug and alcohol testing, physicals, PFT’s, audiometry, immunizations and experienced workers compensation injury evaluation and management. We understand how to serve both the employer and the employee while treating the injury appropriately and efficiently, minimizing the need for lost time, OSHA recordability, and unnecessary work restrictions.

ExperCARE’s most recent expansion and continued growth is proof that this model is benefitting not only patients and their families but also employers, providers and insurers by decreasing crowding in Emergency Departments and offering an effective alternative to healthcare access.

The fact that all major insurers have embraced our delivery model is just another example of how ExperCARE’s model of on-demand access to healthcare is also benefiting the insurance industry. The consumer-driven business model saves insurers money because people are more likely to seek non-emergent medical attention in an appropriate setting such as an urgent care versus an Emergency Room, if it’s accessible, convenient and affordable. Early detection and treatment could head off a more serious illness that might result in more expensive hospitalization or emergency care.

ExperCARE’s access to healthcare model is the wave of the future. Stop by and see Why!

Transcript of Video

We’ve been delivering care since June 1 of 2009 in Richmond Hill. I had moved to Richmond Hill not too long before that. At the time I was seeing friends and family members in my kitchen sometimes because there was nowhere to go.

There’s such a need for on-demand medical care. This whole idea of retail medicine and on-demand health care when you need it that’s not a compromise was an industry that was being born again and so I think the complement of being in this community that had a need with an industry that was on it’s way up was really an exciting time.

So, June 1, 2009 we opened our doors in Richmond Hill. And the second location is next to Dick’s Sporting Goods in Savannah right on Mall Boulevard. And our third and newest location downtown on Abercorn. It is so exciting. Who knows where we’re going to go next? Stay tuned.

Continuing its commitment to convenient, efficient and consistent healthcare, ExperCARE opened a third location in downtown Savannah on Monday, Nov. 16, 2020. The new, 2,000-square-foot clinic at 818 Abercorn St. will open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends. The state-of-the-art facility is equipped to handle routine care, occupational visits such as employment physicals and drug and alcohol screenings, as well as urgent care, including stitches, digital x-rays, splinting, etc.. A provider and a board-certified radiologist are always available on site. “We don’t believe our patients should have to sacrifice service for convenience,” said Founder and CEO Catherine Grant. “When you’re sick or injured, you want to be seen right away in a clean and convenient location by a highly-qualified provider who accepts your insurance. We strive every day to offer the highest level of personal care and are thrilled to be adding a location in historic downtown Savannah.

Savannah’s coveted South Magazine composes a special edition every five years to highlight some of the south’s most trusted, ambitious, and talented leaders. This publication is described as,”A bold declaration of the richness of the South, of the majestic talents, relentless ambition and singular vision that reside just behind each face you pass in your travels,” according to magazine editors. 

Did you hear the incredible news?! Alongside dozens of other successful faces and businesses that shape our communities, ExperCARE’s Founder/CEO and fearless leader, Catherine Grant, earned the praise and title “The Face of Entrepreneurship”. This comes at no surprise to anyone who has had the opportunity to meet or work with her.

Catherine is a change maker at heart, an innovator and trailblazer in healthcare, a wife, a mother, and a servant leader. Catherine started her business venture with ExperCARE Urgent Care in 2009 in Richmond Hill, then known as The Urgent Care Center of Richmond Hill. Six years later, ExperCARE expanded, adding a  location on Mall Blvd in Savannah to serve and reach  even more people, and they are currently in the process of opening a third location in the near future.

On behalf of the entire ExperCARE team, we are thankful for an opportunity to celebrate the vision, innovation and inspiration  that Catherine brings our lives day in and day out as well as her unwavering commitment to excellence ! She’s dedicated, beyond compare, to everything she’s a part of. South Magazine writes, “These are the faces of the people who are creating the new South through the sweat of their brow and the depth of their passions. But if you never look closer you may never know how deep that passion goes, and what it has accomplished.” And Catherine is just that!

Amidst some of the most unprecedented times, we are reassured to be le by Catherine ; knowing  that our team and our customers couldn’t be in more caring hands! .

Read the write-up on Catherine, here: http://www.southmag.com/Faces-of-the-South-The-Trilogy-Edition/Catherine-Grant-is-the-Face-of-Entrepreneurship/

Trick or Treat! It’s almost time to bring out the spooky spirit in all of us. Halloween is right around the corner and ExperCARE wants to help you prepare! Here are some important safety reminders to keep you and your kids safe, and not spooked, during our favorite haunted holiday: 

Costume Check

Whether you decide to dress as Batman, a witch, or Cinderella… Let’s make sure you can see through your scary masks. We also want to be sure the cars driving by can see you. If you are wearing dark colors, parents consider putting reflective tape on both sides of their costume. Try to refrain from wearing overly baggy costumes, to avoid trips and falls on such a fun holiday night. It’s also a fun idea to wear a glow stick or carry a flashlight so you can see every spooky step you take. 

Trick-or-Treat Reminders 

We don’t like tricks, but we do love treats! As you go door to door on Halloween night, remember to avoid the houses without their lights on. When you find the ones with their lights on, stay on the porch… There’s no need to enter anyone’s home unless they are close family or friends. If you are under the age of 12, parents please accompany your little ones at night. If you are old enough to trick-or-treat on your own, remember to stay with your group and encourage everyone to stay on the sidewalk. 

Candy Concerns

The treats at the end of the night are one of the best parts of Halloween! When you get home after a fun night in costume, let the fun continue! Have your trick-or-treater dump out their candy,  spread it out in a pile on the floor, and take a look at everything they’ve brought back! Throw away anything that looks opened or tampered with. Also, make sure they haven’t picked up anything they might be allergic to. Homeowners, this is where you come in! Display a teal pumpkin on your porch to let trick-or-treaters know that you have non-food treats for those that have allergies.

Driver & Homeowner Cautions

If you are on the road on the evening of October 31st, proceed with caution. Drivers should eliminate any distractions, drive below the speed limit in residential areas, and  keep an eye out for kids crossing the street. If you live on/near a busy road, consider taking your trick-or-treater out before the sun goes down or to a neighborhood with less traffic. If you are lucky enough to stay home and see all the festive costumes come to your door, remember to clear your walkways, stairs and porches. Turn on as many outdoors lights as possible so trick or treaters can get to you with ease!

Last but not least, have fun! Share your Halloween photos with all of us at ExperCARE by going to our Facebook. We can’t wait to see all of our patients, family, and friends in their spookiest costume! Have an ExperSpecial Halloween!