Sutter Health Opens New Walk-In Care Clinic In Walnut Creek

WALNUT CREEK, CA — Sutter Health opened a Walk-In Care clinic in Walnut Creek Thursday. According to Sutter, the clinic will offer a new option for fast, convenient care for everyday illnesses and health needs in an easily accessible location.

“Consumers are actively seeking quick and affordable solutions for their immediate healthcare needs,” said Don Wreden, M.D., Sutter Health senior vice president, Patient Experience. “Many people need high-quality care beyond the standard work week, and we’re innovating to make care even more convenient – all while maintaining the personal level of support people have come to expect from our pioneering team.”

The Walnut Creek clinic offers:

• Nurse practitioners or physician assistants who provide treatment for common illnesses, health screenings, vaccinations and wellness services such as weight-loss programs or smoking-cessation support.
• Hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week, with reduced hours on all major holidays except Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
• Patients can call ahead, visit the Walk-In Care website to save their spot, or simply just walk in.
• A comfortable lobby with outlets to charge laptops or phones, as well as complimentary fruit, coffee, tea and fruit-infused water.
• Adults and children 18 months and older – patients do not need to be an existing Sutter Health patient.
• Sutter Walk-In Care accepts most major insurance plans, but patients may also pay with a credit card. An office visit has a set price of $129. Paying out of pocket may be an affordable option for those with high-deductible insurance plans.

The new Walnut Creek office offers “easy access to treatment for problems like the flu or an ear infection,
rashes, and wellness services like sports or pre-employment physicals,” said Carolin Delker, Sutter Walk-In Care nurse practitioner manager. “We hope that by providing more convenient access to care, patients won’t put off getting the care they need to stay healthy.”

Delker added, “Patients appreciate the range of services we provide, and our staff can help people when they most need it. People can come in before going to the office in the morning, or schedule a time on any day of the week that is convenient for them, including evenings.’’

Walk-in Care clinics have the potential to relieve pressure on overcrowded emergency rooms as well as on Urgent Care clinics and primary care providers’ offices, which often involve long waits for appointments.

“We want to reserve emergency departments for serious and life-threatening illnesses, rather than having people with minor medical problems going there because they have no other option,” Delker said. “At the same time, allowing patients to receive non-urgent care and vaccinations quickly, near where they live or work, should help free up doctor-office visits for those with more serious issues.”

The new clinic is located at The Orchards, 2878 Ygnacio Valley Rd., Walnut Creek, 94598.

Future clinics are planned in Dublin and San Ramon:

• Dublin, Fallon Gateway Shopping Center, at 3918 Fallon Rd., Dublin, 94568
• San Ramon, Marketplace at Bishop Ranch, 433 Market Place, Building H, Suite 9, San Ramon, 94583

Sutter currently has clinics open in San Francisco and Petaluma. One is also planned in San Jose.

For more information, call 1-800-972-5547.

-Image via Sutter Health