CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Emergency Department of the St. Francis Hospital in Charleston will become an urgent care health and wellness center next month.
The transition will take place April 25 and will be called the Saint Francis First Health and Wellness Center.
Patients will be able to seen for non-emergency health related issues, lab work, health screenings, flu shots and minor injuries or illnesses.
Dan Lauffer, the president and CEO of Thomas Health System, said the new department will focus on patient affordability, accessibility and convenience.
“More than 50 percent of the patients who have preventative measures covered in their insurance don’t take advantage of it, so there’s plenty of opportunities for us to engage patients and get them to think about how they can keep themselves healthy,” he said.
Lauffer said a lot of emergency rooms have been serving patients for non-emergent illnesses and injuries, so they wanted to provide those same services in Charleston.
“We feel that renaming it and repackaging our service to meet this need today is the appropriate thing to do,” he said.
Employees who work in the ER will either be transitioned to the new program or will have the opportunity to look to other positions within the hospital.
No job cuts will be made as a result of the transition, Lauffer said.
The Emergency Department at St. Francis has been open for nearly 16 years.