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“Want milk, mommy; want milk, mommy; want milk, mommy,” cried two-year-old Jenny Cross last Sunday morning. He mother, Kristy Cross, of Monessen, gave the toddler a cup of milk and didn’t give her daughter’s request a second thought until about an hour later when the child repeated, “want milk, mommy; want milk, mommy; want milk, mommy.” When Mrs. Cross asked her daughter why she was so thirsty, the child grabbed her neck and said, “ouchy, hurts.” The young mother lifted her daughter onto her lap and looked at her throat only to discover that it was flaming red. When she felt Jenny’s forehead, it was warm.
“Of course my child would have to be sick on a Sunday when our pediatrician, doesn’t have office hours,” said Mrs. Cross.
As she watched her child walk through the living room and place her head on the sofa pillows, she wanted to provide immediate relief to Jenny.
“I knew she wasn’t sick enough to go to the hospital emergency room, but I wanted her to be seen that day because if she needed an antibiotic I wanted her to start it as soon as possible,” said Mrs. Cross.
Fortunately, the Giant Eagle on Route 88 in Finleyville has Healthy Directions, a convenient walk-in medical center that is staffed by Certified Registered Nurse Practitioners (CRNPs) who provide non-urgent medical diagnosis and treatment.
“I took Jenny to Healthy Directions and it was a wonderful experience,” said Mrs. Cross. “We were immediately greeted by a medical assistant who took our information and escorted us back to an exam room. I had my five-year-old son, Collin with us and the nurse practitioner made him feel special too.”
The CRNP took a rapid throat culture which confirmed that Jenny had strep throat. A prescription was immediately transmitted directly to Giant Eagle’s pharmacy which is situated just steps from Healthy Directions. Within a half hour, the Cross family had a diagnosis, a free prescription and they were on their way back home.
Healthy Directions opened in August 2011 as a partnership between two neighbors that the Finleyville community trusts — Monongahela Valley Hospital (MVH) and Giant Eagle.
“People from throughout the region are discovering that Healthy Directions is a convenient source of medical care during evenings and weekends when their primary care physicians do not have regular hours,” said Louis J. Panza Jr., president and CEO of MVH.
Healthy Directions provides:
• Evaluations and treatments
• Physical examinations
• Immunizations
• Educational programs
• On-site diagnostic and laboratory testing
The CRNPs at Healthy Directions provide physicals Monday through Saturday from
8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Healthy Directions provides care to people 18-months of age and older. Most insurance plans are accepted. Non-covered physicals are also offered at a reasonable cost.
Everyone is invited to attend the one-year anniversary celebration which will be held Wednesday, August 8. Stop by to visit Healthy Directions’ staff and for:
• Free health screenings
• Free giveaways
• Free refreshments
• A chance to win a free flat-screen TV.
On-air talent from Froggy Radio (94.9 FM) will be onsite for a live broadcast from 4 to 7 p.m.
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