ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, December 1, 1995 TAG: 9512010021
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SANDRA BROWN KELLY
On some days during the past two months, patients have arrived at the Communicare Urgent Care Center in Northwest Roanoke to find it closed early. The medical center is supposed to remain open until 8 p.m. weekdays and 6 p.m. on weekends.
A few times, the office closed by 4 p.m. because it didn't have a doctor on duty.
Wednesday night, patients in the waiting room were sent away because the physician scheduled got his days confused.
Since staff physicians Dr. Henry Hershey and Dr. James Pope left in October, maintaining the center has been a patch job, said Judy Harrison. Replacing the doctors has been "very challenging," she said. Harrison is director of physician management services for Carilion Health System, which owns Communicare.
But, beginning today, a doctor should be in as scheduled, she said.
Dr. William Smales, who has been in private practice in the Roanoke Valley, has been hired by Carilion and will start today. Dr. Linda Brunson, who is now at Lewis-Gale Clinic in Salem, will come to work at the center in January, Harrison said.
Carilion's two Communicare centers, the one on Peters Creek Road Northwest and one in Vinton, are staffed with employee-doctors and private physicians who work at the centers part time.
When the Peters Creek center was closed early, patients were referred to the Vinton clinic or emergency rooms at Carilion's Community and Roanoke Memorial hospitals, Harrison said.
"We know it has been upsetting to patients, and we're very sorry it happened. We certainly appreciate their business," Harrison said.
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