University of Nebraska Medical Center Opens H1N1 Clinic
Omaha, Neb – As a way to help the community manage the H1N1flu outbreak, The Nebraska Medical Center will open a special clinic to help people suffering from flu symptoms. This clinic is NOT offering H1N1 flu vaccine at this time.
“Our emergency department has seen record levels of patients in recent weeks,” said Shelly Schwedhelm, director of emergency, disaster and preparedness services at The Nebraska Medical Center. “This clinic will help us care for the patients who are sick but do not need to be admitted to the hospital.”
Donald Darst, MD of Midwest Regional Health Services (MRHS) and an internal medicine specialist at the medical center will operate the clinic. Beginning November 8, the clinic will operate from 2:00pm to 10:00pm on weekends and from 5:00pm to 10:00pm on weekdays. The clinic will be staffed with physicians, nurses and administrative support from MRHS, Clarkson Family Medicine and AfterOurs, an urgent care organization which operates several clinics in the Omaha metro.
“We’ve also been in contact with other medical groups in the community,” Dr. Darst said. “If we need to expand the staffing, we should be ready to do that.”
Symptoms of the H1N1 flu are similar to the seasonal flu: fever, sore throat, coughs and muscle aches. Most people will be able to recover at home without treatment or a visit to the emergency room. “Some people feel very sick and believe they need to be evaluated by a physician,” Schwedhelm said. “They are the people who will benefit from this clinic.”
The clinic will be housed in the medical center’s employee health clinic. It is located just inside the front door of Clarkson Tower at 42 nd and Dewey Streets. Medical center staff will escort patients from the emergency department to the clinic. “We believe this is going to be good for the community and help get us through this flu season,” Dr. Darst said.
The medical center’s flu hotline and website continue to operate with updated information on the H1N1 flu. The website is www.nebraskamed.com/flu ; the hot line is 559-9996.
