Premier Health Urgent Care becomes Chicago’s first black-owned South Side urgent care.
Premier Health Urgent Care | On Chicago’s South Side, a group of African American doctors opened the first urgent care center owned by black people.
WLS-TV in Chicago: On the South Side of Chicago, in the Hyde Park area, a group of African American doctors opened the first urgent care center owned by black people.
“We live in the area and noticed that when our kids got hurt or sick, there was no urgent care close by,” said Dr. Airron Richardson, who helped start the urgent care center. “You had to go to a completely different neighborhood that was several miles away.”
Premier Health immediate Care is the only place in Chicago that offers this kind of immediate care right now. It was thought up by a group of African American doctors who work in emergency rooms and trauma units.
Dr. Reuben Rutland, a co-founder and U.S. Navy veteran, said that the doctors wanted to help a South Side neighborhood that really needed cheap, high-quality health care.
“So you can go to the emergency room and wait eight hours for something small, or you can go to an urgent care and wait 10 or 15 minutes to get it done,” Dr. Rutland said.
In partnership with Dr. Gregory Primus, a former Chicago Bears wide receiver who was the first black person to study orthopedic surgery at the University of Chicago, the office opened near 47th and Lake Park Avenue.
“In the inner city, the community, or what some people call the “hood,” there are no urgent care centers or primary care centers, so I thought that had to be a part of what we were doing here, ” said Dr. Primus.
Even though the urgent care can treat anything from cuts and bruises to bee stings and sprains, the center’s CEO, Dr. Michael McGee, said that the group plans to give back to the community through its youth violence prevention organization.
Dr. McGee said, “Our program is set up to give some of our money to programs in the area that are working to stop violence.”
Urgent care centers have become popular for many reasons, but the doctors said that all they want to do is help.
Urgent care doctor Dr. Renita White said, “It’s good to be able to be in the neighborhood, be a part of the community, and give back in some way, just by being able to provide care.”
The building is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Visit the facility’s website at www.premierucchicago.com to find out more.
Monday, CPS kids go back to school.
The couple’s wedding in Italy is in danger because the dog ate the owner’s papers.
Privacy deal with Facebook: There isn’t much time left to make a claim.
Premier Health Urgent Care
