Natalie Jones hopes her urgent care center can have a positive impact on the lives of Black Tulsans.
On Nov. 13, NovaStar Urgent Care opened its doors in Tulsa, Oklahoma, becoming the city’s first accessible hospital or urgent care facility since the 1921 Race Massacre occurred.
Natalie Jones hopes her urgent care center can have a positive impact on the lives of Black Tulsans, telling the outlet, “It’s unfortunate, the life expectancy is 14 years less in north Tulsa than in other areas of Tulsa, and that is probably because there’s not enough medical care for everyone that needs care so my goal is to bridge the gap and to get one community member, one family member at a time on their journey to health so we can be a healthy community in north Tulsa because where you live should not dictate how long you live.”
NovaStar is open seven days a week, and the clinic runs a special online program for patients with no insurance. If they sign up for a membership, they only pay $33 for three visits to the clinic. Jones says there are many primary care physicians in the area, but nothing currently exists for patients who need to be seen immediately.
She hopes the clinic can help address the healthcare disparity in the Tulsa community. Jones has practiced medicine for 17 years and expanded the clinic out of her NovaStar Family Medicine. According to Kareo, a physician rating system, Jones comes highly recommended in the Tulsa area, with 251 five-star reviews on the platform. A patient named Shanna says that she recommends Jones and her clinic, writing, “Natalie Jones and her staff are well organized, smart and caring people. I have recommended Natalie to all my friends and family.”
Jones says that her clinic may also have to explain what the urgent care clinic is there for, as she told News On 6, “Non-emergencies that need immediate care is what the urgent care is for. So, you cut your finger while you’re cooking. Your children come home, and they’re sick. But you didn’t come home until 6 o’clock, but they can’t go to school the next day, and you need a note for school. That’s an urgent care need.”
The clinic had a grand opening on Nov. 13 and opened fully for business on Nov. 14 from 9 am to 8 pm. Those hours are also the clinic’s weekday operating hours. The clinic will be open on weekends from 9 am to 4 pm.
Source: Black Enterprise
