Atlantic, IA — Atlantic Medical Center, RHC (AMC) is launching a new Rapid Care service on Monday, February 24. AMC Rapid Care is walk-in care that is open seven days a week for patients of all ages. Tammy Bireline, Chief Clinic Administrator, says “We want to be here for our patients when they need care. This helps bridge that gap between when it’s not an emergency, but you need to be seen and your primary care provider is not available.”  Beginning Monday, February 24rh, AMC Rapid Care will be open Monday through Friday from 9-a.m. to 9-p.m. It will also be open on Saturday and Sunday from 10-a.m. to 6-p.m. AMC Rapid Care does not offer appointments; patients can just walk in, check in at Admissions, and then wait to be seen by the AMC Rapid Care provider. Patients are seen on a first-come, first-served basis.

Bireline says “AMC Rapid Care isn’t a substitute for your regular provider, and it’s also not a substitute for the Emergency Department. This service is really for those minor health issues – ear infections, coughs, minor stitches – that can’t wait.” Similarly, AMC Rapid Care providers will not address chronic conditions or take care of prescription refills because those issues are most appropriate to be discussed during an appointment with a primary care provider. It is also important to note that AMC Rapid Care providers will not prescribe narcotics.

The medical team at AMC Rapid Care includes Rebecca McCann, ARNP, Emily Nadler, PA-C, and Dr. M.A. Johnson. Dr. Johnson will also continue to work in the Emergency Department. The cost of a visit to AMC Rapid Care is the same as office fees for Atlantic Medical Center appointments; regular co-payments still apply and should be paid during the check-in process. Due to the addition of AMC Rapid Care and the extended evening hours, the previous Evening Clinic entrance will no longer be used. All patients coming to Atlantic Medical Center, whether for a scheduled appointment or AMC Rapid Care, should use the Main Entrance.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A driver has been charged with two counts of vehicular homicide following a Des Moines collision in which two men died. Police say the crash occurred around 11:45 a.m. Thursday, when a southbound car struck an eastbound car that had just entered the roadway. Two men in the eastbound car died after being rushed to a hospital. Police have identified them as 26-year-old Mauricio Ruiz Quintana and 22-year-old Brayan Martinez Ruiz. The other driver has been identified as 23-year-old Alejandro Contreras.

(Radio Iowa) — Six of seven Republicans on an Iowa Senate committee have endorsed a plan to require more of the Iowans getting health care benefits through Medicaid to work or volunteer in their community. Senator Jason Schultz, a Republican from Schleswig, is chairman of the Senate Labor Committee.

“Able-bodied Iowans should work if they’re receiving public benefits,” Schultz says. The bill does have exceptions. The parents of young children and disabled Iowans would not be required to fulfill the requirement, but other adults between the ages of 18 and 64 would have to show state officials they’re working 20 hours a week. Schultz says his constituents want the state’s welfare programs to promote the Iowa work ethic.

“They want to see people work, if they can, and they also support that we are a well-off enough state and country that we can take care of the people who can’t take care of themselves,” Schultz says, “so it’s not mean-spirited what I’m hearing back home, but they are very frustrated when they know of neighbors who could get a job, but are getting public assistance benefits and kind of mocking the system.”

Lana Shope of the Iowa Community Action Association says nearly 80 percent of the working-age adults enrolled in Medicaid already have a job — but many have inconsistent work schedules. “They might be working 20 hours this week, but next week they’re only going to get 10, which is going to make them out of compliance which then jeopardizes their health care coverage through Medicaid,” she says, “not only for them, but for their children.”

The bill is now eligible for debate in the full senate.