Children’s urgent care clinic opens

Viruses and sprains don’t pay attention to traditional business hours, which is why Dr. Allury Arora and Dr. Srinivas Mallempati decided to open Urgent Care for Children (UCC) off U.S. 280 in October 2017. 

After a successful start as the first after-hours pediatric clinic in Jefferson County, the duo opened a second location this September at 117 N. Chalkville Road in Trussville.

“We’re really excited to be in the Trussville community,” said Arora, who has practiced in Mobile and Dallas. “The goal is to make it a pleasant experience for you and your family and to get the medical care in a professional and reliable place.”

Arora said the idea grew out of fielding questions from family and friends when a child would be picked up from daycare with a fever, had a fall at football practice in the evening or had pain at night. An emergency room was not necessary, but keeping a child in discomfort until a 10 a.m. appointment was not desirable, either. There was no other alternative, she said. 

“It was always like, I know what to do with my children, but what about others? … This is an initiative about how we can make healthcare more accessible to people, more customer-friendly and at times they would like to have it,” Arora said. “People were used to this culture that we have to wait until the doctor’s office opens but from my perspective, in this day and age when every kind of industry — whether it’s hospitality, whether it’s food delivery, whether it’s grocery delivery — everyone is taking a step and going out of the box. I think the medical practice in the Birmingham community needed that beginning as a startup.”

Dr. Ashley Ketchum, who recently relocated to Birmingham from Georgia, will serve as the primary pediatrician at the Trussville location as the clinic’s staff doubles in size.

The practice has a goal of bridging the gap between a family’s regular pediatrician and emergency department needs. Patients do not need a referral to see a UCC pediatrician or nurse practitioner and reports from visits will be faxed to the primary physician’s office. 

The clinic is designed to provide after-hours care, not a replacement for a primary physician, according to Arora. The clinic does not conduct annual well visits, sports physicals or provide immunizations. 

UCC was recently certified as a Level 1 facility by the Urgent Care Association of America. 

Arora said the entire staff is pediatric-trained and “very kid friendly” when it comes to offering snacks, drinks, suckers, stickers and practicing distraction techniques during procedures. The clinic also has a comic book hero mascot: Band-Aid Boy and his dog Stitches.

Both UCC locations are open 365 days a year for ages 0-21 from the hours of 2-10 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends. 

Most insurances are accepted and an all-included self-pay option is available at a $125 flat rate per visit. 

No appointment is necessary, though online appointments can be made at childrensurgent.com. The website also has a payment portal, patient portal and health tips blog.