Clinics will not clear bed block, College of Emergency Medicine says Mr Butler said clinics in outer suburbs and regional areas needed extra time to get adequate staff to stay open until 10pm. 'There's a very proportional mix between regional and rural Australia and metropolitan Australia and electorates as well,' he said. Ten of the 58 clinics would be in regional areas, he said. Mr Butler said locations were chosen based on emergency department waiting times for less urgent cases. 'It would be nice to see some specific thinking about urgent care needs in rural and remote areas.' 'We know that Australians who live in rural and regional areas have worse health outcomes,' Dr Skinner said. Twenty-six of the 33 announced or open clinics are in Labor-held seats, and the majority of those open are in metropolitan areas.Īustralasian College of Emergency Medicine president Clare Skinner described it as 'disheartening' to see the location of so many of the clinics in metropolitan areas, instead of rural or regional areas. The federal government has since taken over running them - something it said was always the plan. Since the election, the government has committed to an additional eight clinics, bringing the promised total to 58.Īn ABC analysis has found that of the 23 that are up and running, nine are existing after-hours bulk-billing clinics established by the Victorian government last year. The budget for the bulk-billed clinics has also risen from $135 million to $358.5 million.

Of those that are open, less than half are open until 10pm as promised, with many closing at 8pm.

'We're committed to getting these up and running by the beginning of the financial year 2023-24,' Labor MP Mark Butler, now the Health Minister, told reporters last April.Īfter more than a year in power, only 23 are open, and the locations and providers for an additional 10 have been announced. The clinics would operate from 8am to 10pm with no appointment needed, helping to ease pressure on stretched emergency departments, Labor said. Again, be sure to check out our 3WRCB interview, and if you ever need the DayOwl Mobile Urgent Care unit contact us at (423) 800-3040, Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.During last year's election campaign, the government promised to set up at least 50 bulk-billed, after-hours clinics across the country. You can count on us whenever, wherever you need us! NiteOwl After Hours Urgent Care is now available anywhere in the great Chattanooga and surrounding areas. We have been to quite a few worksites where there might have been an injury on the job.” Daytime Mobile Urgent Care Wherever You Need It We don’t just go to homes we go to schools, we go to worksites. Even if it’s just an ear infection, we can come into the house to treat it. “Oh my goodness, yes! Moms love this service. There’s a lot of things we can do for the elderly population too.”ĭayOwl offers care for all ages, including pediatric services. A lot don’t have the means to get to their doctor, it’s a big stressor for them to get out, and we come to them, knock on their door, and there’s a big smile on their face when they see their provider. “We have seen a lot of patients in independent living facilities some assisted living.

Anyone Can Benefit from On-Site Medical AttentionĮric Dunkel shared some of the most frequent clientele we have seen with our urgent care on wheels. “We can do COVID tests, Strep tests, flu tests, we can check for ear infections… we can do minor laceration repairs and things like that,” explained Nurse Practitioner Bri Stock.Īpart from x-rays, any service you would receive at our NiteOwl brick-and-mortar locations you can receive wherever you would like the daytime mobile urgent care unit to meet you. Mobile clinics provided care directly to patients during a time when hospitals were overwhelmed, and we felt a service like this could be of great help to the greater Chattanooga area.

Our own Eric Dunkel and Bri Stock appeared on Channel 3 WRCB to discuss the success of our DayOwl Mobile Urgent Care unit, with Eric sharing, “It’s like going back in time a bit to when doctors used to make house calls.”Ĭheck out the 3 Plus You interview on News Channel 3’s website here! Inspired by COVID and the Desire to Help Moreīack during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, many at-risk individuals relied heavily on mobile clinics to reach them. We would like to thank News Channel 3 for inviting us to discuss our daytime mobile urgent care.

Niteowl after hours urgent care