Five Star Urgent Care expanded to its tenth location in New York state this week, opening a facility in Plattsburgh. WAMC North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley toured the new facility as officials cut the ribbon to begin operations.
Five Star Urgent Care provides medical services for all non-life threatening ailments and Chief Medical Officer Doctor LouAnne Giangreco says the organization has a patient-centered philosophy. “Within our organization we talk a lot about values and putting the patient first. We really want to create that customer service experience for you and we really want to partner with you for better health.”
The hallways are brightly lit and the main waiting room features a large screen television and slushie machines. As she shows off the new space, Giangreko says medical staff want to quickly aid patients while keeping them as comfortable as possible. “Moving back through the facility: this is our lab area. At Five Star we're able to do some point of care testing and we do have some medications that we're able to administer as well. This is our procedure room. This seat is great because it converts back into a bed and an exam table if we need to so we’re able to manipulate the chair to get folks in a comfortable position. We do have a television in every room too so in case there is a wait. So the standard exam room. Come back here. So we have digital Xray on site at our facilities. This is our results waiting room. While you're waiting for test results you can come in to here, play with our Pac-Man machine which is free. It's refurb’d. There’s over one hundred games on there. We also have a 3D television.”
Town of Plattsburgh Supervisor Michael Cashman helped cut the ribbon, officially opening the facility. He says Five Star will meet new and niche needs in the area. “We have an aging community so certainly there's a great need for places such as Five Star Urgent. But we’re also seeing a community that is booming with new folks in the area. I mean we're bringing in more jobs. We're bringing in new folks to the region that are traveling through it. So when people are here in the community they need their health care provided for as well.”
Area 2 Clinton County Legislator Jonathan Beach graduated residency with Giangreco. While he has no direct involvement with Five Star, he began talking with her in December about the idea of opening the office. “In the uncertain era of medical care in our country it is imperative the patient understand they are number one. You can be a wonderful medical provider but if the patient doesn't feel cared for or doesn't feel your compassion your progress is nil.”
Beach says he wants to make sure Five Star Urgent Care patients have adequate follow-up and believes communities need more of these types of services. "These facilities are essential to avoid the high cost and long wait of the E.R. Unfortunately in our litigious society many tests are ordered that may not be necessary which causes more wait time, exposes the patient to more risk and sometimes quite honestly does find other scary diagnoses that need to be found. But we need facilities that are very patient-focused and take care of what needs to be taken care of without the long drawn out wait and the high cost that Americans are facing today. The whole concept of urgent care medicine is young and evolving and actually when I first took over my practice it was almost nonexistent. Insurers are starting to pay more fairly to urgent care practices. They've got great potential here.”
Cashman is impressed with the design and concept of Five Star Urgent Care. “They've spent a lot of time and detail in making it very homey. They've really really been very attentive to the details here and I think they'll be very successful.”
The new walk-in urgent care facility is at 474 Route 3 near the corner of Smithfield Blvd.
Five Star Urgent Care began in the Big Flats area near Elmira and has expanded throughout New York state.
