Did you know that Solantic Baptist Urgent Care can help keep your company healthy? Employers and health insurance leaders across the country are booking their spots for the National Corporate Wellness Conference in Los Angeles Sept. 20-22. While there, they’ll learn what smart business leaders and Solantic already know – that healthy, happy employees contribute to your company’s bottom line by boosting productivity and employee morale.

Solantic Baptist Urgent Care's occupational medicine and executive physical services can help keep you, your employees and your company healthy.

A 2004 study by Cornell University shows that “presenteeism” (employees showing up for work despite being ill) costs the American economy $180 billion in lost productivity annually. A 2009 survey by CCH Inc., which provides employment law information for human resources professionals, concluded that unscheduled employee absenteeism (primarily for illnesses) cost companies an average of $755 per year. And substance abuse and addiction costs American companies billions in absenteeism, insurance costs (including insurance for treatment of health conditions exacerbated by substance abuse) and related costs each year.

Solantic Baptist Urgent Care can help keep your employees healthy and your business running smoothly with our occupational medicine services. Each of our urgent care centers located throughout Florida offers confidential employment and pre-employment drug screens, immunizations, X-ray and EKG services, vision testing, hearing testing and pulmonary functioning testing, plus physicals for DOT workers, OSHA physicals and customized examinations tailored for your company’s specific needs. We also offer an “Executive Physical” designed to help evaluate an executive employee or candidate’s ability to handle the rigors and strains of a high-pressure positions. HIV and STD serologic testing also is available.

Whether you’re an HR professional for a large company with thousands of employees or a small business owner with a staff of just a few, Solantic Baptist Urgent Care offers occupational medicine at a budget that works for your company or department. To keep your business in top shape, contact the center nearest you for more information Solantic’s occupational medicine and corporate wellness services today.

Since news of the tragic explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon and the resulting BP oil spill hit, concerns about health risks associated with oil exposure have taken center stage in the media. Florida urgent care facilities are getting lots of calls from both coastal residents and would-be vacationers worried about whether the Sunshine State’s beaches are safe to swim in, the air is safe to breath and the seafood is safe to eat.

Health advisories have been issued at beaches in three Florida gulf counties as a result of the BP oil spill.

When it comes to needing urgent care, Florida beaches in three counties could pose a risk. The state’s Division of Health has issued impact notices for fifteen beaches in Escambia, Okaloosa and Walton Counties. Tar balls, tar mats and a light, oily sheen have been spotted along these beaches in the water and in the sands. While there have not yet been any reports of major illnesses or injuries caused by contact with tar, oil or dispersant deposits found in Florida, prolonged contact can cause health problems that could carry long-term impacts.

The most common urgent care risk Florida beach-goers face is respiratory problems induced by odors and fumes given off by oil and toxic oil dispersants. Nasal irritation and nausea may occur, particularly in people with seasonal allergies, sensitivity to pollen or pre-existing respiratory conditions such as asthma. If you experience this, leave the area immediately, avoid strenuous activity and get to an air-conditioned space. If symptoms worsen, go to the nearest Florida urgent care clinic immediately. Seafood purchased at restaurants and markets have been sampled and deemed safe. But NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) just recently expanded the no-fishing zone and various agencies have differing standards of safety. Petroleum contamination (whether by touching, ingesting or inhaling) is known to cause cancer and neurological conditions down the road.

To minimize your potential health risk while visiting beaches in Florida, Solantic Urgent Care and the Florida DOH offer these tips:

- Avoid wading or swimming, skiing or using personal water craft in oil-affected areas;
- If your skin comes in contact with an oil product, quickly wash it with grease-cutting liquid dishwashing detergent and water;
- Avoid contact with oil and oily materials spotted in the water or on the beach. Note that items such as tar balls may be buried beneath the sand, so be careful digging your feet into the sand and closely watch children digging holes and building sand castles (in fact, young children age five and younger should be kept from affected areas altogether);
- Do not collect tar balls or other items for souvenirs;
- Do not pick up oil product to throw in the trash. Instead, notify local officials. Only trained community workers are authorized to remove and dispose of oil product from Florida’s beaches;
- Avoid contact with dead or dying fish or other aquatic life that may be impacted by the oil. If you see an animal in distress, call (866) 557-1401;
- Do not boat through oil slicks or sheens and exercise caution when hoisting boat anchors from waters that may be affected;
- Young children (five and younger), pregnant women, people with compromised immune systems and pets should not visit oil-affected areas.

If you believe you are suffering a medical condition from contact with oil products or fumes, head to your nearest Florida Solantic Walk-In Urgent Care clinic.

If you’re looking for a way to get in shape without straining your wallet, Solantic Baptist Urgent Care suggests small group fitness training. June’s end marks the year’s half-way point and most have long ago skipped out on their New Year’s resolutions. This year, many are blaming the tight economy for their fitness woes. But imagine sharing the costs of getting fit while enjoying the added benefits of a support system. That’s the beauty of small group fitness training programs popping up all across the nation. Multiple participants keep costs down. And having someone share your fitness journey can make it easier, more fun and more effective. Statistics show that fitness partners can help encourage all participants to stick to the program, even as it gets tougher.

Small group fitness training programs are an affordable way to get in great shape. Visit your nearest Solantic urgent care clinic to make sure you're ready for a new fitness routine.

The recession is affecting the physical health of thousands of people forced to forego fitness training because of financial difficulties. And it’s affecting the financial health of personal fitness trainers and gyms. Small group fitness training programs are proving to be the answer for both parties. Many of these programs are known as “fitness boot camps.” They can take place inside gyms or community centers, or outside, utilizing parks, beaches, even parking lots as fitness obstacle courses.

One attractive feature of small group fitness training is the range of workout types. Popular workouts today include:

- Zumba, which involves Latin beats and salsa-inspired moves;
- Cardio Hula Hoop, using weighted hoops to help whittle your waist, flatten your abs and boost your muscle tone;
- Cardio Pole Dancing for those who want to put a little spice into their workouts while building upper body and core strength and toning legs;
- Punk Rope, which centers on jumping rope to punk rock tunes;
- Forza, a Samurai-inspired core workout that involves thrusting, chopping and slicing your way through core, shoulder, arm and leg training using wooden swords.

Solantic Baptist Urgent Care recommends you undergo a physical examination before taking on a new workout program. We offer age-appropriate basic physicals that help you determine your current health and fitness level so that you can make an informed decision about your new exercise plan. Also, if you or your child plans to participate in school or collegiate sports come the new school year / fall semester, Solantic Baptist Urgent Care centers offer school / sports physicals required by many athletic governing bodies and in some cases, by state law.

To prepare for your new workout program, visit your nearest Solantic urgent care clinic today. No appointment is necessary and your insurance company may reimburse you all or part of your physical cost.

June 6-12 is dubbed “Sun Safety Week” nationwide, but living here in the Sunshine State makes it all the more important. Each summer, Solantic Baptist Urgent Care sees multiple patients with painfully severe sunburns or sun poisoning, an allergic reaction to the sun also called “photodermatitis.” This time of year, students of all ages are out of school on summer break and vacationing or weekending adults are looking for a little R&R. What better place to relax, recreate and have some fun than Florida’s sandy, sunny beaches. But if you’re not careful, you could end up back indoors nursing a painful condition for the remainder of your time off.

Solantic Baptist Urgent Care and the Sun Safety Alliance offer tips to "block the sun - not the fun!"

With a typical sunburn, your skin will take on a not-so-flattering shade rather than the bronze glow flaunted by swimsuit models fronting bottles of sun screen. It likely will itch and eventually peel. Chances are, you’ve had lots of experience with those. But severe sunburn may also bring small blisters that can become infected and require topical treatments. And if your day in the sun ends with nausea, fever, headache, dizziness, fluid loss and / or electrolyte imbalance, chances are you’ve got a case of sun poisoning. In this case, head to your nearest Solantic Baptist Urgent Care Center for treatment as soon as possible. If your condition worsens into extreme pain or vomiting, or if your fever tops 104 degrees, we’ll get you to an emergency room where you may need IV fluids to restore your hydration. A physician may also prescribe an oral steroid to reduce inflammation.

Solantic Baptist Urgent Care and the Sun Safety Alliance offer a few tips for avoiding and treating sunburns and sun poisoning:

- Keep covered whether you’re sunbathing or playing sports. Don a wide-brimmed hat and smooth on a sun block of at least SPF 30. Know that different beaches have different colored sands that reflect the sun in various intensities. The whiter the sand, the worse you’re liable to burn.

- Insect repellants can reduce your sunscreen’s SPF by 1/3rd, so up your SPF if you plan to use both a sunscreen and bug spray.

- Don’t count on just one slathering of the sun block. Reapply after dips in the water or playing sports. Be sure to reapply sun block to children’s skin even more often – especially rambunctious little ones who run, splash and play a lot.

- Seek the shade, especially between 10 am and 4pm when the sun’s UV rays are strongest.

- If you do get a sunburn that causes mild discomfort, drink lots of water and apply ice or a cold compress to reduce swelling or itching. Apply aloe and avoid oils, fragrances and exfoliants. Take aspirin or beta-carotene supplements to ward off pain and inflammation.

- For a more painful sunburn, soak for a bit in cool (not cold) water and pat, don’t rub your skin dry. Up your water intake and, if nausea hits, head to the urgent care center or emergency room.

- Keep in mind that a sunburn is more than a temporary nuisance. Each one makes you more likely to develop skin cancer in the long run.

Remember the Sun Safety Alliance’s motto: “Block the sun – not the fun!”

SOLANTIC BAPTIST OPENS 13TH NORTH FLORIDA URGENT CARE CENTER

Beach & Hodges Location To Offer
High-Speed Wireless Internet Access

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (May 27, 2010) – Solantic Baptist Urgent Care announced today the opening of its newest center in the Walmart Supercenter Plaza at the intersection of Beach Boulevard and Hodges Boulevard.

This brings the total number of Solantic Baptist North Florida centers to 13, including a dedicated occupational health facility located on the Westside. This is the 34th Solantic walk-in urgent care center statewide.

The center address is 13460 Beach Boulevard. Center hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends.

Appointments are never needed, but patients can register online and receive a call or text message when the doctor is ready to see them or call ahead to be placed in the patient queue in advance of their arrival.

The 3,000-square-foot Beach and Hodges center is the second new facility to open since Solantic and Baptist became joint venture partners earlier this year and is the first to feature wireless internet access and a new digital menu board.

“We’re always looking for ways to enhance the patient experience by offering locations and services that improve our patients’ comfort and convenience,” said Solantic CEO Karen Bowling. “This newest center is in a highly populated area and brings needed resources to the large number of people who live or work in the area. Plus, the free wireless internet access feature should be very appealing to those who need to stay connected, even when they may not be feeling well.”

Solantic Baptist Urgent Care offers call-ahead and online registration options; $5 prescriptions, digital x-rays and lab services on-site; separate kids’ waiting rooms; flat-screen televisions in exam rooms; and a Three-Day Feel Better Guarantee. For locations and to read more about Solantic Baptist’s urgent care and occupational health services, visit www.solantic.com

Solantic Baptist Urgent Care physicians and staff urge you to participate in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) World No Tobacco Day May 31, 2010. This year’s theme focuses on warning women about tobacco risks and delivers a stern message to tobacco marketers: Stop targeting women with manipulative, downright deceptive advertisements.

Smoking poses unique and potentially deadly health risks for women.

WHO researchers and smoking cessation advocates criticize tobacco marketers for what they consider insidious messages. Beautifully crafted print, television and online ads suggest smoking lends women a sexy, empowered image and that smoking light or low-tar cigarettes is safer than smoking regular cigarettes. Research shows that tobacco marketers increasingly are targeting women who live in low-income and middle-income countries, where women are gaining spending power and independence. Many of these women are, for the first time in their lives, enjoying the financial and social freedom to smoke tobacco, but lack the knowledge of the health risks that smoking poses.

WHO, and Solantic Baptist Urgent Care want to make sure our female patients of all ages are fully aware smoking causes an increased risk of:

- Infertility and trouble conceiving children;
- Cervical cancer, vulvar cancer and premenopausal breast cancer;
- Premature delivery, stillbirth, newborn death or reduction in breast milk for pregnant smokers;
- Cardiovascular conditions such as blood clots, heart attacks and strokes for smokers using hormonal birth control;
- Pelvic inflammatory disease, which can cause ectopic pregnancies, pelvic adhesions and other fertility problems;
- Menstrual problems such as abnormal bleeding or amenorrhea (the absence of periods);
- Osteoporosis;
- Early menopause among women who start smoking as teenagers.

Women also are at risk for many of the same smoking-related medical conditions as men, such as mouth cancer, emphysema and lung cancer. Nearly 23 million U.S. women (roughly a quarter of the nation’s female population) smoke cigarettes, and more than 1.5 million teenage girls smoke. Despite the fact that smoking is the nation’s most preventable cause of death, smoking related conditions kill more than 140,000 U.S. women annually.

If you are a female smoker looking to kick the habit, don’t wait until May 31. In fact, don’t wait another minute. Contact Solantic Baptist Urgent Care at 904-223-2320 or via our online email form. Our wellness services including full physicals and screenings, and your Solantic Baptist Urgent Care physician can offer smoking cessation tips based on your unique lifestyle and healthcare needs.

A trip to an urgent care center can be a bit nerve wracking for anyone – especially a kid. Being in an unfamiliar environment and placed into the hands of strangers can cause anxiety, especially when a child must undergo a medical procedure or get an injection – things that can be downright scary for little ones. We’ve all seen the resulting bouts of crying and temper tantrums. But it doesn’t have to be that way for you and your child. Solantic Baptist Urgent Care offers these tips to help make your child’s next visit to the doctor a bit less stressful, and perhaps even fun.

Allowing your child to get to know his doctor can help ease his anxiety, making each trip to the doctor less stressful and more fun.

Give some warning: When possible, tell your child in advance that he or she will be visiting the doctor soon. For older children, let them know a few days ahead of time. For younger children, a day is sufficient without giving them too much time to fret. This allows them time to express any fears or anxieties and ask questions about the visit.

Choose and stick with a doctor you and your child like: The more familiar a doctor becomes to a child, the less anxiety he will experience with each visit. Urgent care centers increasingly are replacing the family physician for many routine visits such as annual checkups, school and sports screenings and urgent care treatment for illnesses and injuries. This works to your advantage because it allows your child to get to know his Solantic Baptist Urgent Care physician, nurses and staff during routine visits, making things less stressful when a more urgent need such as an unexpected injury or illness occurs. Barring a more serious situation that requires emergency room treatment, the same urgent care physician who handles your child’s routine visits will be there for his urgent care situation.

Don’t make it a big deal: Let your child know that all boys and girls go to the doctor and that a visit to the doctor’s office or urgent care center is simply to make sure that his little body is working in all the ways it should. If a visit is for a particular health concern and your child is aware that something is different, tell him only the most essential information and assure him that the doctor will know exactly what to do to help set everything right again. Also be aware of your own facial expressions and body language when talking to your child about an upcoming visit. They pick up on nonverbal signals as well as adults, so keep a sincere smile on your face and maintain a cheerful and comforting tone of voice.

Read a book about visiting the doctor: Multiple children’s books address going to the doctor in ways that are informative, humorous and reassuring. A few of our favorites are The Berenstain Bears Go to the Doctor, Elmo Goes to the Doctor, Curious George goes to the Doctor and Madeline, in which the famous young heroine must visit the hospital in the middle of the night to have her appendix removed. Though it was written in 1940, it remains among the most used resources to help soothe a child’s anxieties about emergency doctor visits.

Keep your child occupied in the waiting room: Bring along a few favorite toys or stuffed animals, funny books, coloring books with crayons or simple games. A soft, familiar blanket and yummy snack will help as well. Toys can be a big help in the days before you go to the urgent care center or doctor’s office too. Role play allowing your child to play the doctor and an assortment of huggable dolls and stuffed animals to be his pretend patients. Educational doctor play sets work great for older children.

Be prepared yourself: Be on time and make sure you have all of your child’s insurance information, prescription card and any other necessary documentation with you, such as shot records from prior physicians. Write down any questions you have beforehand. This all helps assure that your visit will go quickly and smoothly.

Give your child something to look forward to: Reward a successful visit to the doctor with a trip to the park or ice cream shop. And be sure to pile on the hugs, kisses and words of praise. This will help lay the foundation for your child’s next trip to the doctor.

If you have any questions or would like to schedule your child’s next checkup, visit our website and find the nearest Solantic Baptist Urgent Care center.

Solantic’s newest urgent care center is open for business at 4498 Hendricks Avenue at the San Jose Boulevard split in the Miramar neighborhood. It’s our first urgent care clinic to open since Solantic joined Baptist Health, Northeast Florida’s largest hospital system, in January.

The new Hendricks Avenue Solantic urgent care center offers immediate healthcare services for sudden illnesses or unexpected injuries including workers’ comp injuries and sports injuries. The clinic, housed in remodeled former convenience store, also offers a range of non-urgent healthcare and medical services such as wellness screenings, blood work, X-rays, pre-op physicals, drug screenings, immunizations, DOE physicals, insurance physicals, school and sports physicals, blood pressure tests, cholesterol screening, occupational medicine and OSHA respiratory physicals.

Our Hendricks urgent care clinic is high tech not just terms of our state-of-the-art medical equipment, but in comfort features including three large flat-screen televisions in our waiting and examination rooms for patients to watch while they wait to see one of our board-certified physicians; a children’s area to keep little ones playfully occupied; and a computer monitor that allows patients to check their wait times. Patients also can register online and receive a text message on their cell phones when it’s time for their exam. This allows patients to choose whether to wait in our waiting room, outside or at a nearby location.

Soon, all North Florida Solantic urgent care clinics will be known as Solantic Baptist Urgent Care. The new partnership with Baptist Health means patients now have access to the hospital system that includes five hospitals and more than 40 primary care centers located throughout Northeast Florida if follow-up care is needed. Founded in 2001, Solantic Walk-In Urgent Care has grown to 31 urgent care centers throughout Florida, employing upwards of 530 employees. Twelve Solantic urgent care centers are located in the Northeast Florida region and a 13th is slated to open at the corner of Beach and Hodges boulevards in May.

Urgent care clinics nationwide, and particularly those located in Sunny Florida, are prepared for the Spring Break season. March and April historically bring more walk-in patients to both hospital emergency rooms and urgent care clinics. And Florida is a prime Spring Break state with is warm temperatures, beautiful beaches and oceanfront hotels and condo rentals. Solantic Walk-In Urgent Care clinics are located throughout Florida and we’re prepared for all the most common Spring Break injuries and illnesses.

• If you drink, drink moderately. Alcohol begins to affect the brain within five minutes of consumption and one of the most common reasons for Spring Break hospital visits is alcohol poisoning. Many travelers report drinking far more than their normal weekly consumption during Spring Break and too often, overestimate their alcohol tolerance. Consider non-alcoholic beers or mixed drinks instead.
• Designate a driver. Any highway patrol officer or hospital emergency room worker no doubt has a full roster of horror stories to tell of alcohol-related auto crashes that killed or left Spring Breakers with traumatic, sometimes life-long injuries. Drunk driving most definitely spikes during Spring Break. Make sure you don’t end your trip with more than a hangover.
• Don’t take an open drink from a stranger. This applies to anyone, but is a particularly important rule for women. Date rape drugs like GHB, Rohypnol and Ketamine give no warnings because they are colorless, odorless, have no taste and don’t cause bubbles or other visible changes when dropped into drinks. They act fast and can render a victim unconscious and/or unable to fight off an attacker, leaving him or her vulnerable to physical or sexual assault. We recommend getting your drinks directly from your server or bartender and never leaving them unattended. If you think you may have been drugged, seek medical help immediately and try to preserve any evidence for investigators.
• Don’t take that dare! This is a big one for you guys. Something about Spring Break brings out the machismo and tempts many a young man to take physical risks either to prove himself or just get a laugh from his buddies. Emergency rooms and urgent care centers all have treated broken limbs, burns and lacerations with explanations beginning with the words “We’re on Spring Break and my buddy dared me to…”
• Slather on the sun block. We see a lot of sun poisoning and severe sun burn cases each year, particularly among fair skinned people or those unaccustomed to the coastal life. Even those who live near the coast often fail to realize that differences in beach sands can factor into sunburn severity. For instance, sands in Northwest Florida along Pensacola and Panama City Beach are finer and whiter than are Atlantic sands in Northeast Florida, which are courser and darker in color. Those white sands are more reflective and can cause much quicker and more severe sunburns.

Currently, there are 31 Solantic Walk-In Urgent Care Clinics located throughout Florida. If you’re traveling in Florida for Spring Break, make sure you know where the nearest urgent care clinic and hospital emergency room is located. Also know that while urgent care clinics can provide treatment for many types of illnesses and injuries such as cuts, burns and some broken bones, more severe medical conditions require emergency room care. Before your trip, know when to choose urgent care over ER care. Follow the tips above and enjoy your Spring Break for many healthy years to come.

Spring is just around the corner, and for America’s 20 million asthma sufferers, that could me a rough couple of months. In fact, Solantic Walk-In Urgent Care and other urgent care providers nationwide see typically see an increase in visits by asthmatic patients during the springtime. Sunny days mean more time spent outside, which means exposure to asthma and allergy triggers such as pollen, grass and air pollution.

Consider these statistics from the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America – Every day in the U.S.:

•    40,000 people miss school or work due to asthma;
•    30,000 people suffer an asthma attack;
•    5,000 people visit the emergency room with an asthma-related condition;
•    1,000 of them are admitted to the hospital;
•    11 people die of asthma-related problems.

In fact, asthma is the fourth leading cause of work absenteeism among adults and the No. 1 cause of chronic illness-related school absences for children ages five to 17 and results in more hospitalizations than any other childhood disease. Each year, 4,000 people die as a direct result of asthma, and the condition is considered a “contributing factor” in nearly 7,000 other deaths. These statistics represent a 50-percent jump in asthma deaths since 1980, including an 80-percent jump in the asthma death rate for children under age 19 since 1980.

If you think you may have asthma, Solantic Walk-In Urgent Care offers age-appropriate screenings and wellness services that can help diagnose and treat your asthma symptoms. And to help you maintain your respiratory health, we offer several healthy tips. To help prevent asthma flare-ups, consider stress-reducing exercises and techniques such as yoga and meditation. Breathing exercises and regular (reasonable) aerobic exercise also can strengthen your lungs and increase your respiratory function. And research suggests that antioxidants (particularly vitamin A and vitamin C) can help protect the lungs of people with asthma against oxidative stress.

Solantic urgent care physicians also recommend being keenly aware of potential asthma and allergen triggers that are more prevalent during the spring season, including pollens and grasses. Got spring cleaning or sprucing up the home planned? That’s a good idea, as microscopic dust mites hiding in house dust, carpets, and pillows can be triggers as well. Just be careful as you polish that dust-laded furniture. And go light on air fresheners, particularly aerosols. Paint fumes can be irritants too, so if you’re planning on repainting rooms, consider hiring a professional painter, or putting that task on your honey-do list while you take a breather elsewhere.

Should you experience any asthma-related complication, head to your nearest Solantic Walk-In Urgent Care (30 locations throughout Florida) asap. We’ll take care of your urgent care needs and help develop a health maintenance plan based upon your medical condition and unique lifestyle.