PERU — Beginning Monday, Jan. 8, the IVCH CareToday walk-in clinic next to the Illinois Valley YMCA in Peru has more than doubled the number of hours it is open weekdays, receiving patients 12 hours a day from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. instead of five hours a day as it did in the past.
IVCH CareToday’s weekend hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. will remain the same.
At the same time, IVCH will close its FastCare walk-in clinic at the Peru Walmart Jan. 31.
“Patients new to CareToday will notice that it offers more services than FastCare and can treat more serious illnesses and injuries besides dealing with the minor ailments FastCare specializes in. CareToday also has X-ray services, something FastCare does not have,” Tommy Hobbs, IVCH chief executive officer, said.
“FastCare was our area’s first retail walk-in clinic when it opened in 2010 and filled a need at the time,” Hobbs said. “That need is no longer there now that CareToday is doubling its hours. Patients who need medical care when their own doctor’s office is closed or they can’t get a same-day appointment will like CareToday’s expansion of hours.”
A new physician who will be working exclusively at CareToday is joining the IVCH medical staff. Rahul Sampat, M.D., is coming to Peru from the OSF PromptCare clinic in Ottawa. A 2007 graduate of the University of Illinois-Chicago College of Medicine, Dr. Sampat is board-certified in family medicine.
Other physicians on the CareToday medical team are Lucille Damasauskas, M.D.; Kara Fess, M.D.; and Kelly DeBoer, M.D.
Payment for CareToday services can be made by presenting an insurance card or a credit card. Patients who are insured by the state’s Medicaid system are also welcome.
CareToday’s address is 310 Walnut St. in Peru. The clinic is located on the second floor of the IVCH Center for Physical Rehabilitation and Aquatics, which is adjacent to the Illinois Valley YMCA.