New urgent care clinic focused on pediatric needs

Driving up and down U.S. 280, it’s not difficult to find a place for medical care. There are several hospitals, emergency care and primary care options either along or near the corridor. In late October, a new option opened — this one for some of the youngest patients in the area.

Urgent Care for Children, a pediatric urgent care, opened its doors Oct. 28 and held an official ribbon-cutting Dec. 7. The Birmingham clinic, located off of Cahaba Park Circle near the Jefferson/Shelby county line, is the first UCC location in the Birmingham area and will see patients ages 0-21. 

“I know that this facility fulfills a need that we have here, not only in this area, but in the regional area as well,” Birmingham councilman Hunter Williams said during the facility’s ribbon-cutting.

Open weekdays from 2-10 p.m. and weekends from noon to 8 p.m., UCC co-founder Amrik Walia said their goal is to provide care to patients outside of the hours primary physicians typically hold.

“Children often need medical care outside of the typical doctors’ office hours, so we exist to provide the same quality care that you experience at your family pediatrician, but during non-traditional hours,” said Dr. Maria Meyers, medical director for UCC. “We are proud to serve the greater Birmingham area with our centrally located Highway 280 clinic. Our physicians and staff look forward to supporting the medical needs of this community.”

This is not the first medical business Walia has helped found. He helped found the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Office for the Advancement of Developing Industries, now a high-tech incubator that is part of Innovation Depot, as well as Spa Moksha, which has since closed, and American Health Research Institute, which is located in the same building as UCC.

The idea for a children-focused urgent care clinic came to Walia when his son’s family was visiting Birmingham from New Orleans, and his grandson got sick. There was only one urgent care pediatric clinic in the area, Walia said, and that clinic required a referral from a primary care physician.

“That was really the start for me to think, ‘Birmingham children, Birmingham families really need somewhere they can take their kids to a physician,’” he said.

The clinic is open 365 days a year and can treat non-life threatening injuries and illnesses, according to its website. Walk-ins are welcome, and they aim to provide quick and quality care, Walia said.

“Mothers are stressed when their child is sick, and they want their child to be seen quickly. They want someone who is knowledgeable about this, looking at their child,” Walia said. “They want to make sure their kids are taken care of and taken care of quickly by someone who is a good physician.”

They are able to complete lab tests and take X-rays on the UCC campus, Walia said, and for more serious issues, they have a partnership with Children’s of Alabama and can transfer patients there.

After a patient comes to the clinic, Walia said, they follow up with that patient’s primary care physician, if they have one, the next day.

When a patient comes to UCC, Walia said, they want them to be satisfied with the care, from the front desk to the time they leave. In their first month of operations, Walia said they received positive community feedback.

UCC is located at 500 Cahaba Park Circle, Suite 100. For more information, go tochildrensurgent.com.