Media Contact:
Takashi Wada M.D.
Pasadena Public Health Department
(626) 744-6166
Wendy Karsten
Huntington Medical Foundation
(626) 397-8306
Brian Hayes
Community Health Alliance of Pasadena
(626) 993-1220
The public is invited to a groundbreaking ceremony for a community-based urgent care center in the southeastern section of Pasadena on Wednesday, March 3, from 2 to 3 p.m.
Participating in the ceremony will be Mayor Bill Bogaard and representatives from the city of Pasadena, Huntington Medical Foundation and Community Health Alliance of Pasadena (CHAP).
Located at 3160 E. Del Mar Blvd. between Madre Street and Kinneloa Avenue, the Pasadena Urgent Care Center will be operated by Huntington Medical Foundation. The building will also house a medical clinic to be operated by CHAP, which will provide primary and preventive care for patients on a sliding fee basis.
The urgent care center is expected to help alleviate long waits at Huntington Hospital’s emergency room, where more than 30 percent of patients have health concerns that are not emergencies, such as fevers, fractures, wounds and minor trauma. Non-emergency, outpatient care will be offered to ambulatory patients on a walk-in basis without an appointment. The planned hours of operation will be 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
“In these times of limited resources, the partnership between the city, Huntington Medical Foundation and CHAP is essential and will allow us to leverage our strengths to bring much needed urgent care services to the community,” said Dr. Takashi Wada, director of the Pasadena Public Health Department. “This clinic will provide an essential source of high-quality healthcare for those who have been hit hard by the economic downturn and have lost their insurance, and it will be a convenient and cost-effective source of care for those who have insurance.”
Urgent care fills the gap between a primary care physician’s office and an emergency room, and provides significant savings to patients and insurers compared to hospital emergency departments. Urgent care can also help identify patients with chronic illnesses who do not have a primary care physician.
The city-owned site, a former day care center and police substation, was chosen for its affordability, parking amenities, access to public transportation and proximity to a payer mix – a balance of insured and uninsured users who would be likely to use the clinic. The facility is expected to be completed by late summer.
The project is a pilot with an initial term of five years. It will be evaluated regularly for its effectiveness and ability to support itself.
For more information call (626) 744-6784.
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