FAIRMONT — Just 10 months after its opening, Urgent Care at Mayo Clinic Health System in Fairmont is expanding its hours and staff to meet the demand of patients seeking same-day treatment. From 550 to 600 patients use Urgent Care every month.

Starting today, Urgent Care hours will be 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays, two hours earlier than previously. Weekend hours are unchanged from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Emily Fett, nurse practioneer, has transitioned from family medicine at Mayo Fairmont to the Urgent Care team to help meet the increased demand for treatment of patients of all ages.

Dr. Jeffrey Green, family medicine practitioner at Mayo Fairmont, called the Urgent Care expansion an upgrade in services that will alleviate patients experiencing long wait times, seeking other options or delaying care.

“Life is busy. By expanding the hours and by increasing the number of providers in Urgent Care, we’ll be able to accommodate the demand from those individuals and families with those busy lives and full schedules,” he said. “We’ll be able to make it more timely, convenient and welcoming.”

The growth in Urgent Care hours and staffing also should help ease the requests for same-day appointments. Green said providers hold open a certain number of slots on their daily schedules, but these openings usually are filled by patients who have been discharged from the hospital recently or have visited the emergency department and need an immediate follow-up appointment.

“What this expansion does is allow us to carve out a whole department that will see the people that can be or should be seen today,” he said. “It makes it easier for me as a physician to ensure that my patients that need same-day care, when I am unable to provide it, can get it from one of my trusted colleagues.”

The Urgent Care team and clinic providers often collaborate when an additional diagnosis or exam might be needed in an effort to develop the best treatment care plan.

Dr. Marie Morris, medical director at Mayo Fairmont, is confident that the additional hours and staff at Urgent Care will translate into patients receiving care more quickly.

“We have many patients wanting to take advantage of same-day care through Urgent Care, and we are happy to be making the changes necessary to meet that demand,” she said.

Treating patients of all ages, Urgent Care covers such services as treatment of allergies, bladder infections, ear and eye infections, strep throat and rashes, back and muscle pain, cuts, low-grade burns, ear aches, skin conditions, sprains, joint pain and upper respiratory infections.

The Urgent Care practice is housed within the clinic at Mayo Clinic Health System in Fairmont. No appointment is necessary. Patients should enter through the main clinic doors on the north side of the facility at 800 Medical Center Drive.