Blue Mountain Health System has a new walk-in care facility that aims to help treat minor illnesses when patients can't get into their family doctors quickly or their symptoms aren't a true emergency.

The Blue Mountain Quick Care center is located in the Gnaden Huetten Professional Building, Lehighton, next to the Gnaden Huetten Hospital campus, and is now open to the public from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, with weekend hours to come.John Reel, the physician assistant staffing the center, said that this is building on the care the Blue Mountain Health System already provides to the community. Reel has 33 years experience as a physician assistant in family practice and urgent care."Quick Care is a walk-in convenience where patients of a variety of ages, from newborns up to geriatric patients, can get seen for a variety of minor illnesses or injuries such as sore throats, earaches, colds, flu, scrapes, sprains or strains that you shouldn't go to the ER for or is not that urgent to go," he said. "Quick Care utilizes all the vast and very good resources that the Blue Mountain Health System (Gnaden Huetten campus) has to offer from X-ray, laboratory and ancillary services."Reel also said the new center will help alleviate waits in the emergency room and will provide a "continuity of care when patients can't get into their family doctor."In addition to Reel, the three-exam room center is staffed by Chrissy Weikel, a certified medical assistant.Lisa Johnson, vice president of public relations and marketing at Blue Mountain Health System, said that Quick Care is part of the hospital's strategic vision for the future of health care and will help bring another level of care.She added that the center will also make sure to refer the patient back to their family doctor and would even set up their appointment for them as an added level of care.In addition to Quick Care, Blue Mountain Health System is also rolling out an online app in the next few weeks that will provide expedited services to its campuses.Patients will be able to check in using the app so that they are already in line at Quick Care, or even laboratory or X-ray services or the Emergency Room. They can schedule a time to come in before they leave and get seen shortly after they arrive.Johnson said that it will help people seen in Quick Care who needs blood work. They can check in at Quick Care and be in line already before they walk over to the Gnaden Huetten campus."We want to do the best we can to support the community's needs," Johnson said.