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NEWS BRIEFS
Urgent clinics identify a growing need
SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Eight years ago, emergency room physician Dr. Frank Alderman saw a need in West Virginia health care.
Too often, he found the emergency room crowded with patients who had minor complaints like sore throats and sprained ankles. Doctors spent time treating them that should have gone to patients with real emergencies.
Alderman co-founded MedExpress in Morgantown that year, and the urgent care company now has 40 clinics across the country.
Urgent care clinics specialize in treating people who don't want to wait days to see their primary doctor but don't have ailments serious enough for the hospital.
Alderman says such clinics can keep the health care system from becoming overburdened.
