LYNN — Union Hospital’s urgent care center will become a respiratory clinic by the middle of next week to aid in the coronavirus fight, North Shore Medical Center (NSMC) announced on Friday.
“These changes will enhance our response to COVID-19 and better meet the needs of our patients, physicians and staff, “ said Steven Kapfhammer, President of North Shore Physicians Group, in a statement.
NSMC in the statement said the clinic will be for Partners HealthCare patients with both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 respiratory conditions in need of evaluation.
“Patients will be pre-screened and pre-registered by phone and directed to this clinic by appointment only. Staff and physicians will observe strict safety and infection control guidelines for all patients. The clinic will provide evaluation and treatment and reserve our Emergency Department in Salem for acute cases,” the statement said.
Union Hospital has been under transition for more than two years with Partners HealthCare moving to close the hospital while providing urgent care as a new medical village focused on non-hospital treatment is under construction next to the hospital.
NSMC has operated a COVID-19 drive-up testing service on the hospital site. This service has been moved to the hospital south entrance of the campus and remains available by appointment only.
In its Friday statement, NSMC said urgent care patient volume has been “very low, with many patient visits being managed by telephone and video.”
Mayor Thomas M. McGee on Friday said NSMC President Dr. David J. Roberts contacted him to discuss the changes and said state public health officials approved the urgent care center’s transition to a respiratory clinic.
In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, and North Shore Physicians Group (NSPG) are making operational changes on the Lynn campus.
NSMC Urgent Care, Lynn
Effective Monday, the NSMC Urgent Care Center in Lynn, which has been operating on the Union Hospital Campus since October 2019, will suspend operations so that resources and staff can be redeployed to meet more critical patient needs.
Urgent care services will remain available for patients at
- NSMC Urgent Care, Mass General/North Shore Center for Outpatient Care, 104 Endicott St., Danvers
- Lynn Community Health Center, 269 Union Street, Lynn
- Family Doctors Urgent Care, 250 Paradise Road, Swampscott
Other services on the Union Campus including the North Shore Physicians Group medical practice and selected outpatient programs are continuing to operate. Hours and processes have changed, however, so patients should call before coming to the campus for care.