Bingham Healthcare opens new urgent care in Idaho Falls
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IDAHO FALLS – A new urgent care has opened in Idaho Falls.
Bingham Healthcare held a ribbon cutting for a new 1st Choice Urgent Care on Thursday. This new facility is the fifth one opened by Bingham, offering six rooms, a medical director, several nurse practitioners and physician assistants.
“We’re passionate about helping people throughout the region stay healthy, and the caring and compassionate doctors, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants at 1st Choice Urgent Care are a great team of caregivers committed to that mission,” said Jake Erickson, CEO of Bingham Healthcare.
The new urgent care is at 3302 Valencia Drive in a building that Bingham already owned, with a family medicine clinic and a surgical center. Valerie Jewett, director of marketing and public relations said that Bingham Healthcare conducted market research before deciding to open the urgent care.
“After market research and analysis, the need for an urgent care in this area was apparent,” Jewett said.
Like most cities in east Idaho, the population is growing and Jewett said that Bingham is expanding along with that.
“Bingham is growing so quickly… across most of the valleys on the whole east side of the state,” Jewett said. “To just know that we’re having such great care expanded in our communities, it’s wonderful that we have had the ability to grow the way we have been.”
Jewett also said that urgent cares are expanding because many people, especially young people, don’t have an established primary care doctor. If they have a medical issue, going to an urgent care could be quicker.
“We don’t plan on getting sick and maybe we don’t have the time to wait for an appointment, and the way the pace of the world is working, urgent cares are great. You can stop in when you don’t feel good, you can stop in when you’re just not sure, and you don’t have to call, make that appointment and wait two or three days.”
The providers at the urgent care can treat conditions that are serious or urgent, but not life-threatening, including minor broken and fractured bones, allergic reactions, infections and many more conditions.
While the urgent care can treat a variety of conditions, Jewett still recommends that people find a primary care physician.
“What’s so important about having a primary care doctor is they’re kind of like the coach of your team and when they see something that could make you healthier, maybe a change that could give you a better quality of life, they’re watching out for your best interest,” Jewett said.