Solantic Walk-In Urgent Care knows firsthand the pressures of a business executive and the importance of an annual executive physical. After all, we’re a business too and we’ve got top-notch financial, marketing and other executives working hard to help us keep delivering the best urgent care available while growing our company (see the news report about our joint venture with Baptist Health and look for three new Northeast Florida locations this year).

Unfortunately, that high-achiever lifestyle typical of C-Suite dwellers and other junior and senior level executives means that health often takes second place to landing that big new account. Long hours, meals on the run and stress eventually will take their toll. So while it means a time investment, taking care of your health will pay off. A study by the University of Michigan Management Research Center showed that executives who underwent regular executive physical exams had 20% fewer health claims and missed 45% fewer workdays than those who skip annual exams.

To help keep you in top form Solantic Walk-In Urgent Care offers annual executive physicals designed to screen for all the health risk factors common in those patients who live the high-achiever’s lifestyle. We run an EKG to help identify potential heart complications, test for blood pressure and blood sugar levels and perform vision and hearing tests, plus many more general and executive-specific health screens. And a Solantic urgent care physician will go over all of your lifestyle choices in and out of the office to help pinpoint health and behavior risk factors and recommend ways to improve.

Solantic executive physicals are competitively priced and convenient. Schedule yours any of our nearly 30 urgent care centers throughout Florida today. We’ll help keep you off the surgeon’s table and winning at the negotiating table.

If you’re thinking about your New Year’s health resolutions, Solantic Walk-In Urgent Care and the American Heart Association can help. The AHA has set a few long-term resolutions of its own, all aimed at helping you improve your cardiovascular health. And you can stop by any Solantic urgent care center for a thorough, personalized health assessment.

The AHA recently defined “ideal cardiovascular health” for the first time recently, identifying seven health factors and lifestyle behaviors that lead to a healthier, stronger heart. The goal is to improve the cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20 percent and reduce deaths from cardiovascular diseases and stroke by 20 percent – all by the year 2020.

Dubbed “Life’s Simple 7,” the AHA-identified healthy heart factors for adults as:

•    Never smoked or quit more than one year ago
•    Body mass index less than 25 kilograms per square meter
•    Physical activity of at least 150 minutes (moderate) or 75 minutes (vigorous) each week
•    Four to five of the key components of a healthy diet consistent with current AHA guideline recommendations
•    Total cholesterol of less than 200 mg/dL
•    Blood pressure below 120/80 mm Hg
•    Fasting blood glucose less than 100 mg/dL

The new stated goals come on the heels of the AHA’s successful effort to reduce death by heart disease and stroke by 25 percent by 2010. You can get started on your own 2020 healthy heart plan today by scheduling a physical at any one of our nearly 30 Solantic urgent care centers located throughout Florida. We offer basic annual physicals tailored for children and youth to 17 years old; adults 18-44; and adults 45 and older. Specialized physicals for athletes and executives also are available, as are OSHA and DOT/DOE physicals that may be required for certain jobs such as driving any commercial vehicle. If you’re planning a surgery, Solantic Walk-In Urgent Care also offers pre-op physicals to assure you’re healthy enough to undergo a successful operation.

With each physical, a Solantic physician will let you know exactly where your health, including your cardiovascular health, stands. This will help determine your best cardiovascular health improvement plan, getting you started on both your own New Year’s health resolutions and the AHA’s 2020 heart-healthy America plan. Browse our website to find a Solantic Walk-In Urgent Care location near you, make an appointment and even have directions to our offices texted to your phone.

It’s a question we get often: Why should I choose an urgent care center over the emergency room or my primary care physician? There are many cases in which you absolutely should go to an emergency room. Despite the name, urgent care centers are not equipped or staffed to help in cases of traumatic or life-threatening illnesses or injuries including heart attacks, strokes and head injuries involving a loss of consciousness. Nor can an urgent care clinic help with reproductive services and problems such as pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases.

However, for a multitude of injuries and illnesses needing immediate care, urgent care centers offer the same high-quality services you’ll get in an ER or hospital for a fraction of the cost. In fact, reports by top trusted sources including the Journal of the American Medical Association show that many Americans are using urgent care and walk-in clinics in lieu of emergency rooms or traditional primary physicians for acute illness and injury care. While there are more than 8,000 urgent care centers in the U.S. according to the Urgent Care Association of America, there are only about 4,600 hospital emergency departments.

At Solantic Urgent Care, we offer extended-hours services for illnesses and injuries requiring immediate care, including: 

• Respiratory infection
• Headaches and migraines
• Sore throats
• Sprains or fractures
• Cold or flu symptoms
• Ear and eye infections
• Pulled or strained muscles
• Childhood illnesses
• Cuts, bruises and burns
• Bladder infections
• Auto accident injuries

If, during the course of your visit to Solantic Urgent Care, we find that your medical condition requires more intense care than we’re equipped or staffed to offer, we’ll refer you to an emergency room or specialist.

For appropriate medical needs, an urgent care center can be an equally effective and much more affordable choice. A visit to an emergency department for a non-emergent service could end up costing you three to four times more than a visit to an urgent care clinic. Plus, overuse of ERs is among the top drivers of higher insurance premiums and increased medical costs overall today. So, not only does using an urgent care center help save everyone money, but it helps ease time delays so that ER physicians can focus on more emergent cases. Solantic also is an in-network provider with most benefit plans for numerous insurance companies.

Browse our website or stop by one of our nearly 30 Florida locations to find out why Solantic Urgent Care is a top choice for your health needs.

Winter brings its own full set of potential health concerns, many that could land you or your loved ones in a hospital or urgent care center. But by far, the most prevalent winter ailment is the common cold. 

Urgent care centers nationwide see a lot of patients with the common cold each year. There are more than 200 viruses that can cause a cold and reports show that U.S. residents get more than a billion colds annually. It’s the No. 1 reason that children miss school and adults miss work.

Once a cold virus enters the body it begins to multiply, causing a whole host of symptoms including runny nose, watery eyes, sore throat, nasal congestion, sneezing, coughing, mild fever and aches and pains. There no cure for the common cold nor is there a vaccine to protect you from catching one. For the most immediate care of cold symptoms, try a mild pain reliever or over-the-counter cold remedy. Just know that OTC remedies will only help relieve symptoms, but will not shorten your illness. A common cold must simply run its course. Stay hydrated by drinking lots of water or juices and be sure to get plenty of sleep. 

To help prevent a cold wash your hands up to the elbows several times daily, particularly after contact with others showing any symptoms. Keep your natural resistance to illnesses strong by eating healthy, balanced meals, exercising regularly and getting adequate nightly sleep. Turning your thermostat down and keeping your home humid also helps. That’s because dry air dries out the mucous membranes in your nose and throat causing them to crack, creating entry points for cold viruses.

If your cold symptoms persist for more than a few days or if you begin to vomit, have chest pain or difficulty breathing or painful swallowing, head to an urgent care clinic or hospital as soon as possible. These may be signs of a secondary problem aggravated by a cold and requiring immediate care. For instance, aside from a mild discomfort, a cold will not cause painful swallowing. This may be a sign of a more serious infection or injury.

A cold also will not cause shortness of breath or chest pain. If you experience this, head to an urgent care center or hospital ASAP, as this could be a sign of a much more serious problem such as heart disease, asthma or pneumonia.

A cough that lasts more than a few days may be related to asthma or Gastroesophageal reflux disease (commonly known as GERD), a condition that causes food or liquid to travel backwards from the stomach to the esophagus. Physicians nationwide also have seen an increase in pertussis, aka whooping cough, in children over the past few years – something to check on if a cough lasts more than two weeks.

Each of these heightened conditions calls for immediate care. Solantic Urgent Care locations are found throughout Florida. You never need an appointment and we guarantee that if you’re not feeling better in three days after your initial visit, your follow up visit is free.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Nov. 17, 2009) — Solantic, Florida’s largest provider of walk-in urgent care, is celebrating a company milestone with the opening of its West Palm Beach center Thursday, Nov. 19.

Conveniently located at 1880 Okeechobee Blvd near I-95 in the Palm Beach Market Place, the center is the company’s 30th location and the sixth Solantic in South Florida.

The spacious, 4,993-square-foot facility encompasses eight exam rooms, a treatment room, and
on-site digital x-ray and laboratory services. Most insurance is accepted and hours of operation
are 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. Monday-Friday and 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. The center
phone number is 561-420-8900.

The center will be staffed by board-certified physicians and a full complement of medical professionals who will provide immunizations and treatment for a variety of ailments and injuries, including flu shots; coughs and colds; cuts, bruises and burns; ear, eye and upper respiratory infections; sore throats; and sprains and fractures.

In addition to urgent care, Solantic offers wellness services (a broad range of physicals, immunizations and blood testing for diseases and medical conditions), workers’ compensation and occupational medicine services. The company also recently introduced the Solantic Card, a cash-value gift card that can be used to pay for medical services provided at the company’s centers.

“It is genuinely exciting to not only celebrate our milestone 30th location, but also to expand our South Florida presence with this West Palm Beach center,” says Solantic president and CEO Karen Bowling. “We look forward to providing convenient and fairly priced care to our core urgent care patients as well as employers whose workers are in need of immediate care.”

For more information about Solantic walk-in urgent care or for center locations, hours and services, visit www.solantic.com.
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