Five-month-old Luke had been sick for a little over a week with a cough, runny nose and struggling to sleep when, his mother, Rachael Veenstra grew more concerned. She said they had been monitoring and keeping track of his symptoms, but after picking him up from daycare she could tell his breathing wasn’t normal.
“At that point, he had a little bit of a cough or weird sound in his throat. I thought we needed to see a medical professional,” Rachael said. “We’d heard that Parkview was offering the urgent care walk-in service at Parkview Southwest and hoped that we could get in and out a little quicker than a normal walk-in clinic.”
Peace of mind
Shortly after arriving, Luke had his vitals, temperature and oxygen levels assessed. “They immediately grabbed him and made him feel comfortable, which made me feel more comfortable as the mom. We were treated like family from the moment that we walked in,” Rachael said.
Jonathan Steinhofer, MD, Emergency Medicine, diagnosed Luke with Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). RSV is a viral infection that affects the respiratory tract, upper airways and lungs, causing an acute respiratory illness. While common, it can be a serious sickness requiring hospitalization for infants.
Rachael said it gave her peace of mind to know that choosing Parkview Southwest meant they would also have access to the emergency department and wouldn’t have to travel to another location for Luke’s care.
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The care you need
“Luke looked great when he came in. We gave him some breathing treatments and we were able to let him go home,” Dr. Steinhofer said. “If he was much sicker or if there was something else going on, we have the capabilities to do imaging, IVs and blood work.”
Dr. Steinhofer says deciding when to seek medical attention can be tough for new parents and families because they aren’t always sure what level of treatment or services their child may need. This situation can be further complicated by concerns regarding the financial impact, as the cost of emergency care is usually much higher than that of urgent care.
“We're here to help them make that decision. When you come here, we’re the best of both worlds,” Dr. Steinhofer said. “You have an emergency room physician on site 24 hours a day to take care of any needs that might come in the door. If it’s just an urgent care visit based on what we need to do, then you'll just be treated as an urgent care patient and billed accordingly.”
A swift recovery
Following their visit to Parkview Southwest, Luke has regained his health and is feeling much better. Rachael reflected on the incredible care and compassion they were shown by the staff noting the positive difference it made for their visit. “We're a Parkview family, so we always know that we're going to be taken care of. Overall, it was a really great experience for us,” she said.
With families like Rachael and Luke in mind, working closely with community partners, Parkview Southwest was designed to prioritize patient needs in one convenient location.
Learn more
For more information on Parkview Southwest's services and specialties, please visit our website or call 260-425-4100 with any questions. Download a copy of the campus map to find the appropriate entrance and parking for your service.
