Valley Medical Opens Downtown Walk-in Clinic and Primary Care

Valley Medical has opened at 418 South Gay Street in the Phoenix Building (just down the hallway from the Phoenix Pharmacy).  In addition to being accessed from Gay Street, the business may be entered directly from the Prominade to the rear of the building. Parking is just outside the door in the Prominade Garage (though if you’re willing to walk across the street, the State Street Garage costs only $1 per hour to park). With a pharmacy in the same building, and parking in the rear, it’s an easy and quick way to get your care, any medications, and be on your way.

In early March we met Sandra Bond, who owns the business, and announced at that time this would be the second location. With the original location in Jacksboro, this will be the first urban location for the business. Ms. Bond, a nurse practitioner, stated at the time that she feels the practice offers a uniquely personal experience for patients, with an hour devoted to each new patient.

Subsequently, the business opened May 1, and I stopped in to meet with Sandra and the new staff. Lindsey Longmire, Operations Manager, will be the face you’ll see at the desk. Charlotte MacDonald will be the primary clinician. Charlotte graduated in 2011 with a Masters as a Nurse Practitioner and later added her Doctorate in Nursing Practice from the University of Alabama. She worked in palliative care, she work in orthopedics “for about ten years,” and prior to this position was working in urgent care and family practice. Originally from England, she has lived in Knoxville for over twenty years.

Lindsey served as the connecting point that brought everyone together. She’d worked with each of them, though separately. She had mentioned to each of them that their practice was similar. They met and felt it was a match. The two said that the thread that connects them is a desire to take time with patients, listen, and understand their needs. Charlotte said they want to be the “neighborhood medical clinic. Healthcare and what do here is my passion. I practice medicine because I love helping people and I do it from the heart.”

Business has started to trickle in as more people are learning the clinic has opened. Charlotte said, “The patients we’ve seen have been very happy and we’ve had great patient feedback.” She said business owners and residents have been happy to learn of the clinic.

Lindsey said some of the patients have heard about the clinic via word-of-mouth, while a couple had previously been patients at Jacksboro and have switched to this location. Weight loss clients, particularly, have driven from Knoxville to Jacksboro and now have another option. They’ve also gotten some traffic from people passing by and people in the building. The pharmacy has also been a source of referral.

The clinic offers a wide range of medical services, including comprehensive primary care, hormone replacement therapy, weight management, and they’ll be added aesthetics, including botox. They offer lab services with twenty-four hour return times. They welcome walk-ins for a range of medical needs. They accept all major forms of insurance, except Tri-Care and they are working on that. They will accept Medicaid and Medicare and Sandy said, “we have one of the lowest self-pay prices at $65 for a visit and $35 for labs.”

They plan to offer classes and seminars. The first of these will be May 31 (5:00 pm to 7:00 pm) and the topic will be weight loss and the kinds of options they offer to help. There will be giveaways and more. Current hours are Monday through Friday. Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday hours are 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Wednesday they are open to 7:00 pm to accommodate people who can’t make it by 5:00 pm. On Fridays they are open 8:00 am to 1:00 pm. They hope to add Saturday hours by fall.