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Quick Facts:
Springfield
For the very first time in Springfield, Mercy is housing two high-demand orthopedic specialties in the same walk-in clinic. The move to bring orthopedic trauma and sports medicine providers under one roof is the result of a spike in patients at Mercy’s orthopedic hospital, as well as an effort to make it easier for student athletes to access care closer to their homes and schools.
“This is an exciting time for our orthopedic program,” said Chelsea Heilman, vice president of neurosciences and orthopedics for Mercy Springfield Communities. “Our program is one of the busiest in the region, and that’s why we now have a walk-in orthopedic clinic in the heart of Springfield. We treat student athletes at MSU, SPS, Evangel, Greenwood, Springfield Catholic, Nixa and even the pros at the Springfield Cardinals, so we know if they need to see an orthopedic physician suddenly, quick access to a clinic is important.”
For the past 10 years, Mercy’s ortho hospital was the only place where patients could access orthopedic trauma and sports medicine services on the same campus, and as the number of patients visiting the ortho hospital continues to increase, Heilman said it was obvious that a second walk-in clinic that provided these two specialty services was needed.
“For many student athletes, our orthopedic hospital is probably 20 minutes away,” she said. “This new clinic makes it much easier for our patients to get quick access to care they need when they need it.”
Mercy added orthopedic trauma and sports medicine to its Mercy Clinic Internal Medicine – Whiteside location at 2115 S. Fremont Ave., Ste. 4300, Aug. 1. Already, patient volume is higher than expected with an average of 130 to 150 patients visiting the clinic each day.
Michael Lane was part of Mercy Springfield’s sports medicine team for several years before he became manager of the Whiteside clinic. “What our orthopedic team is able to provide patients at our orthopedic hospital is truly best in class,” he said. “And because of that, we’re seeing more patients now. That’s why it was time to open this clinic and give our patients and student athletes direct access to primary orthopedic providers closer to home.”
The clinic includes 30 exam rooms and two X-ray rooms and is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome. Renovations began January 2024 and wrapped up at the end of July.
