Essentia Health, 2025 Community Benefits
Essentia Health Addresses Community Health Need by Opening Walk-In Care Clinic in Spooner
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For many rural communities, finding same-day medical care can be challenging, whether it means traveling long distances to find an appointment or waiting multiple days to be seen. The Spooner community identified this challenge in their 2022-2025 Community Health Needs Assessment. Increasing access to care in Spooner became one of the top priorities coming out of the report. To address this gap in care, Essentia Health worked with Spooner Health and other community partners to add walk-in care services to the Essentia Health-Spooner Clinic. The walk-in care clinic opened in April and serves patients who have an immediate need that doesn’t require an emergency room visit. It is designed to treat illnesses, minor injuries like cuts and scrapes, colds, earaches, sprains and skin rashes. And the best part: no appointment is needed to receive walk-in care.
"Adding this option was vital for ensuring accessible and timely health care for the patients we serve in Spooner,” said Julie Sindlinger, senior operations manager at Essentia. “It bridges the gap in medical services, providing immediate attention and reducing the need for long-distance travel.”
Open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday and on Saturdays during the busier summer months, the walk-in care clinic adds a convenient option for community members and tourists seeking immediate care. It also reduces the number of emergency room visits, ensuring more patients are seen as quickly as possible. From April to August, Essentia treated nearly 1,200 patients in the walk-in clinic, and an additional 1,235 patients received a same-day appointment at the Essentia Health-Spooner clinic. The walk-in care program was designed with the community in mind. Providers and nurses worked together to design the structure of the program and layout of the clinic. Essentia aligned the walk-in clinic's hours around the pharmacies in town, ensuring patients can get their medications after their visits.
On the clinic’s opening day, a family traveling through Spooner was able to receive immediate care for their sick child. The prompt treatment helped the child recover and allowed the family to continue their vacation without having to cut it short.
“We have received a lot of positive feedback from the community,” continued Julie. “They are so thankful for it.”
Essentia Health is proud to provide walk-in care to the Spooner community, helping Spooner residents and visitors access the care they need, when they need it.
"Adding this option was vital for ensuring accessible and timely health care for the patients we serve in Spooner,” said Julie Sindlinger, senior operations manager at Essentia. “It bridges the gap in medical services, providing immediate attention and reducing the need for long-distance travel.”
Open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday and on Saturdays during the busier summer months, the walk-in care clinic adds a convenient option for community members and tourists seeking immediate care. It also reduces the number of emergency room visits, ensuring more patients are seen as quickly as possible. From April to August, Essentia treated nearly 1,200 patients in the walk-in clinic, and an additional 1,235 patients received a same-day appointment at the Essentia Health-Spooner clinic. The walk-in care program was designed with the community in mind. Providers and nurses worked together to design the structure of the program and layout of the clinic. Essentia aligned the walk-in clinic's hours around the pharmacies in town, ensuring patients can get their medications after their visits.
On the clinic’s opening day, a family traveling through Spooner was able to receive immediate care for their sick child. The prompt treatment helped the child recover and allowed the family to continue their vacation without having to cut it short.
“We have received a lot of positive feedback from the community,” continued Julie. “They are so thankful for it.”
Essentia Health is proud to provide walk-in care to the Spooner community, helping Spooner residents and visitors access the care they need, when they need it.
