Right here, right now,  this time in Laclede County.

St. John's Oct. 1 began offering urgent care in Lebanon 5-10 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon-5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

The urgent care clinic operates out of St. John's Lebanon Women's Center in the Lebanon Medical Building next door to St. John's Breech Regional Medical Center, said Clinic Manager Lashelle Brown

"This is a great alternative to the ER," Brown said. "There will be less wait time for more simple problems like ear infections and stomach aches. This is also good for people who work late and cannot make it into their physician office."

"If it goes crazy we may have to think about moving," Breech President Gary Pulsipher said. "But for now this will be a great place for the urgent care to get its start and get off the ground."

Four new part-time co-workers help cover the urgent care shifts - two receptionists, one R.N., and one medical assistant, said Brown.

St. John's Regional Medicine of the Ozarks Regional Director Lynda Luria said there has been a need for an urgent care clinic in the Lebanon area for quite some time.

"A survey was conducted to see what area business thought about the project and 15 of the 20 local businesses and industries surveyed expressed a need for an after-hours care facility," Luria said. "The urgent care has a laboratory and X-ray, but will not be a substitute for primary care physicians - it is just a convenient alternative."

St. John's Lebanon Family Practice's Philip Mitchell, M.D., is the new clinic's medical director. Brown serves as the office manager for both St. John's Lebanon Women's Center and St. John's Lebanon Urgent Care.

St. John's Lebanon Family Pharmacy now offers extended hours to serve the needs of urgent care patients.

"This is fulfilling a major need for this area," Luria said. "Previously, there was no pharmacy open past 6 p.m. or on Sundays in the entire area. This presented a significant problem because people still need medication during those times."

Pulsipher said area companies are grateful for the clinic.

"After 5 p.m. the emergency room was the only option for people in this area," Pulsipher said. "This is a huge benefit for the people who work third shifts."