When you hear someone casually say, "I'm going to the hospital," generally the first thing that comes to mind are emergency situations – a sudden injury, inexplicable pain, strange symptoms, or something that needs immediate attention. These are of course, important and necessary reasons to go, but did you know that there are many other reasons to visit the hospital?
The Medical Specialty Center—Your Everyday Health Care Clinic—at Orchard Hospital is a rural health care clinic serving the communities of Biggs, Gridley, Richvale, and Live Oak. You’ll find walk-in care available 7 days a week as well as the ability to make appointments with our excellent team of physicians.
So if it’s not an emergency, when would you need to use the Medical Specialty Center?
Let’s look at a few scenarios
Scenario #1: You walk into the house with a bag full of groceries and don’t see the toy truck left out in your path. You step, slip, and fall – dinner ingredients go flying everywhere. But forget dinner, you think you may have sprained your ankle – a minor injury that takes you to the Medical Specialty Center.
Scenario #2: Let’s say you do make it to the kitchen and get a delicious beef stroganoff with mushroom sauce on the table. Your daughter’s friend is joining you for dinner and unfortunately, you don’t realize she’s allergic to mushrooms until after she takes the first bite. She starts to swell up, but assures you it’s a non-life-threatening allergic reaction, but you head to the Medical Specialty Center just to be safe.
Scenario #3: Here’s one more scenario that’s food for thought. Your whole family is sitting around the dinner table, enjoying casual dinner conversation when your son announces he needs a physical to try out for the football team next week.
Meanwhile, your daughter needs to get a drug screening test as part of her pre-employment checklist for her new job. Conveniently, you can make appointments for both of these to get taken care of at the Medical Specialty Center.
Other medical services provided at the Medical Specialty Center at Orchard Hospital include:
- Onsite Lab
- Onsite Digital Radiology
- DEXA Scanning
- Ultrasound General and Cardiac
- Digital Mammography
- Wound Care
- Routine Blood Tests
- Physicals (Sports, DMV, Pre-Employment, CHDP, Pre-Op)
- Minor Surgical Procedures
- Workers Comp
- Industrial Medicine
- Drug Screening
- Psychotherapy
Life gets busy, but you certainly can’t plan a minor injury or allergic reaction. While appointments are recommended at the Medical Specialty Center, walk-ins are definitely welcome.
Reasons for appointment include:
- CHDP evaluations
- Chronic medical conditions
- Test results
- Requests for referral
- Medication refills and paperwork (disability, time off work, DMV physicals)
Reasons for walk-in include:
- Acute illness
- Disease
- Minor injuries
- Accident
- Worsening symptoms
- Allergic reaction to medications
What you can expect at the Medical Specialty Center
Our healthcare professionals are committed to providing the finest medical care to Butte County and Northern California residents in a safe, friendly, and compassionate environment. When you’re a patient at our hospital, our primary concern is to help you get well quickly.
The Medical Specialty Center hours of operation are Monday-Friday: 7:00 am - 7:00 pm, Saturday & Sunday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm. You probably want to talk to a real person when you call, instead of an impersonal recording with too many overwhelming options. For this reason, we’ve established a full-time telephone operator to answer calls and schedule appointments Monday-Friday 8am-5pm.
If you are transferred to a voicemail recording, it’s because we want you to talk to the right person and they may be busy serving other patients. Just be sure to leave a detailed message and your contact information and every effort will be made to return your call by the end of the business day. If it’s after hours, expect a call the following business day.
Even More Reasons to Use the Medical Specialty Center
Medical Records
The staff at the Medical Specialty Center would be happy to release medical records to the institution of your choice. Patients must complete a Release of Information form to the Medical Records Department and provide the name and phone number of the institution where the records are being sent. If you have any questions regarding the Medical Record release process, please contact (530) 846-9080 and select Option 4.
Medication Refills
Medication refills are completed by appointment only. It's a patient’s responsibility to know which medication refills are needed at the time of their appointment. Controlled substances (i.e. pain medications, anti-anxiety medications) will be filled by your Primary Care Provider at the time of your appointment. To avoid possible delays, patients are asked to bring in a list of all medications they are taking and to make an appointment at least one week prior to needing a medication refill. If you have questions regarding a medication refill, please contact (530) 846-9080.
Social Services Assistance
Our Social Services/Case Management Department is also available for you. We are able to assist in coordinating services with your physician, family members and community agencies. For example, if you need medical equipment, rehabilitation, hospice services, referrals for behavioral therapy and support groups, we can coordinate these services or direct you to the appropriate agency for assistance.
Referrals/Consultations
Referrals and consultation requests are completed by appointment only, and ordered by the provider once he or she determines it is necessary. Once a referral/ consultation has been ordered, it may take up to seven business days to be notified of an appointment. This is dependent upon the type of referral, patient condition and medical insurance authorization. If you have questions regarding a referral/consultation, please contact (530) 846-9080 and select Option 3, then your Primary Care Provider.
Next time you’re faced with a non-emergency situation, remember the Medical Specialty Center at Orchard Hospital is nearby, offering both walk-in care 7 days a week and the availability to schedule an appointment. We are dedicated to meeting the needs of our patients and serving the community with superior, quality healthcare.
