Ashley Blachford, Author at Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

VillageMD Spun Off Separately in Privately Held Walgreens Sycamore Portfolio

After months of restructuring, Walgreens Boots Alliance is now a private company following its acquisition by private equity firm Sycamore Partners, according to an announcement. Part of the deal includes the majority investment in Village Medical/Village MD’s healthcare offerings. The entire portfolio will now operate as 5 standalone companies: Walgreens; The Boots Group; Shields Health Solutions; CareCentrix; and VillageMD. Each will continue to function independently, retaining their existing brands. The total Sycamore Partners transaction value …

AI: Closing the Gap in Point-of-Care Ultrasound Adoption in Urgent Care

Tatiana Havryliuk, MD Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has become a cornerstone of emergency medicine, yet its uptake in urgent care has been slow. Despite the emergence of affordable handheld ultrasound devices, many urgent care clinics have yet to integrate POCUS into routine practice. The common barriers to adoption include limited provider competence, the cost of devices, archiving solutions, and training, as well as a lack of administrative resources to support a high-quality POCUS program. The growing …

80-Year-Old With Substernal Chest Pain

An 80-year-old male with hypertension and hyperlipidemia presents to urgent care for 1 day of sharp, substernal chest pain radiating to his right arm with associated shortness of breath and diaphoresis. His wife notes that he is often nonadherent with his medications. An ECG is ordered. View the ECG and consider what your diagnosis and next steps would be. Resolution of the case is described on the next page.

Saying Hello

It’s an incredible honor to be writing this column as the new CEO of the Urgent Care Association (UCA). I’ve long admired the work of this organization, and over the past several years, I’ve had the privilege of engaging with many of you as a colleague, advocate, and fellow believer in the value Urgent Care brings to healthcare. Stepping into this role feels less like a new beginning and more like a full-circle moment—one that …

A 42-year-old Female with a Widespread Scaly Rash

A 42-year-old woman with widespread scaly lesions presents to urgent care. On exam, the provider noted superficial crusts and exfoliative plaques seen on the face, neck, and chest. The patient reported that the lesions were painful, but she had no systemic symptoms and felt fine otherwise. The rash emerged a couple of months prior. The patient had no recent history of travel or infections and was not currently on any medications. The urgent care took …

COVID Vaccines Approved For 2025-2026 Respiratory Virus Season

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week approved 3 COVID-19 vaccines for the upcoming flu season. However, key restrictions that differ from years past include: fewer vaccine options for the youngest pediatric population; and generally no eligibility for those ages 5-64 who are healthy and not high-risk. In addition, FDA revoked emergency use authorizations for the vaccines, which had included a lower-dose option for children ages 6 months to 4 years. Announcements were posted …

ACOG Recommends Moms Get COVID Vaccines

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has released clinical guidance for vaccination during pregnancy to protect against influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and COVID-19—at least some of which is in contrast to what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have recently framed up for the forthcoming cold-and-flu season. Specifically, ACOG recommends that all women who are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or nursing should receive …

Analysis of Short Course Systemic Glucocorticoid Prescribing in Urgent and Convenient Care Clinics

Urgent Message: Across a tristate urgent care and convenient care network, systemic steroid use occurred in nearly one-sixth of encounters (15.5%)—72.5% for likely avoidable indications and 66% for acute respiratory infections. The finding highlights the need to establish systemic steroid metrics to drive stewardship efforts. Paul Hansen, MD; Yang Wang, PhD; Muhammad Naseer, MD Abstract Background: The College of Urgent Care Medicine released a position statement advocating for corticosteroid stewardship best practices in 2022, …

When Neck Pain Arises From Spinal Epidural Abscess: A Case Report

Urgent Message: Though atraumatic neck pain is a common condition in the urgent care setting, spinal epidural abscess is relatively uncommon and may present without classic symptoms, which makes it a challenging diagnosis to make. Early recognition, timely imaging, and thorough documentation are essential to prevent a devastating outcome and to mitigate medicolegal risk. Key Words: Neck Pain, Spinal Infection, Cervical Epidural Abscess, Spinal Epidural Abscess, Medicolegal Risk, Anchoring Bias Eileen Chu, MD, MS; Lucille …

Chronic Infant Mortality Leads Miss. To Declare Unusual Public Health Emergency

Mississippi health officials this week declared a public health emergency after new data showed the state’s infant mortality rate has soared. In 2024, 9.7 infants died for every 1,000 live births, up from 8.9 in 2023 and nearly double the national average of 5.6 deaths per 1,000 live births, according to the state. Since 2014, 3,527 infants in Mississippi have died before their first birthday. Officials say the declaration will speed up efforts to expand …

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