Outpatient Services is a flexible department that offers a variety of services. The main goal of the department is to offer short-term care and patient education for minor problems that need more care than an office visit, but are not appropriate for the emergency room. Minor needs may include injections, IV fluids to treat dehydration, blood transfusions or IV antibiotics to treat infections. (For the safety of the patient, all first-time administration of medications requires the patient to stay and be monitored for 30 minutes.)

 

The department also provides wound care and monitoring. Small surgical procedures requiring local anesthesia are often done. An additional service is follow-up care with oncology patients receiving injections between scheduled chemotherapy sessions. Many oncology patients have indwelling ports that need to be flushed on a regular basis. At the time of the flush, lab work can be drawn for the convenience and comfort of the patient. Receiving these services at a local facility often prevents a drive out of town.

 

Outpatient Services is a direct and effective source of care for the community. Receiving treatment on an outpatient basis is convenient for patients and helps contain healthcare costs.