NEWS RELEASE
MYMICHIGAN HEALTH
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MyMichigan Health is streamlining its acute care options in Bay City, West Branch and Sault Ste. Marie by discontinuing its EZCare clinics and redirecting patients to the nearest MyMichigan Urgent Care, MyMichigan Community Care or their primary care provider.
Located inside Meijer grocery stores, MyMichigan EZCare clinics provide walk-in care for minor illness and virtual visits by appointment. The last day for patients to receive in-person or virtual services from EZCare will be March 31.
“We invested in EZCare clinics at a time when the health care industry was exploring more retail-like options,” said Charity Blake, M.S.N., R.N., director, MyMichigan Medical Group. “However, that model of care hasn’t proven to be the most efficient or effective for today’s needs. Our MyMichigan Urgent Care and Community Care clinics are staffed and equipped to provide a broader range of services to those same communities and are already located nearby. Therefore, instead of continuing to duplicate services in those communities, we’ll be offering opportunities for our EZCare providers and staff to transition to other MyMichigan locations and maximize capacity at those locations.”
Blake recommends patients always contact their primary care office before seeking non-emergency care at other facilities, in person or virtually.
“Most primary care offices set aside a certain number of visits per day to see their own patients with urgent needs and have options to triage after-hours patient calls. Many offer both in-person and virtual visits. We have a number of initiatives underway to optimize schedules across the health system so we can get even more patients into their own providers sooner. In cases where your primary care provider does not have an opening that meets your timing needs, they are still in the best position to advise you where to go for care since they are familiar with your health history.”
MyMichigan Urgent Care Freeland is 17 miles from MyMichigan EZCare Bay, MyMichigan Community Care is 4 miles from MyMichigan EZCare Sault, and MyMichigan Urgent Care West Branch is 2 miles from MyMichigan EZCare West Branch. Those who would like to learn more about MyMichigan’s acute care options may visit //mymichigan.org/go. Those who need help finding a primary care provider may call MyMichigan Health Line at (800) 999-3199.
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