The national need for quick, convenient, quality health care has never been more in demand, but for one Orlando-native, changing this system has become his life's mission.

William P. Barnard, M.D., board certified in emergency medicine, and his staff recently opened the doors to Central Florida Urgent Care, Inc. Located near the corner of Clay Street and Orange Avenue, the Walk-In Clinic's aim is to serve the local residents in whatever capacity they need.

"After I retired from the ER, I wanted to pursue my dream of opening an urgent care clinic to serve the doctors and people in this community," said Dr. Barnard. "A neighborhood walk-in clinic, a place for people to go who don't have a doctor, or can't get a timely appointment with their doctors, or want to avoid long ER waits."

The emergency room statistics are staggering across the country and this problem is gaining even more recognition thanks to the media and a new box office hit. Emergency room overcrowding is just one of the symptoms of a broken health care system. Patients sometimes wait up to eight hours to get treated. Dr. Barnard is an agent of change for this system and Central Florida Urgent Care is a quantum leap in the right direction.

Central Florida Urgent Care's coverage includes but is not limited to treatment of acute medical illnesses, pediatric care six months and over, pre-employment and school physicals, flu shots, sports medicine, minor office surgery, basic laboratory testing, EKGs, x-ray, splinting and sutures, pre-employment drug testing and drug screens, pulse oximetry and recommendations and/or referrals to primary care providers and appropriate specialists.

"There is no appointment necessary," said Dr. Barnard. "Our Clinic is open during normal business hours, but also during extended hours during the week and weekends to assist you when your primary doctor is overbooked, on vacation or no longer accepting new patients."

The Clinic is just a skip away from Dr. Barnard's old stomping grounds. He graduated from Edgewater High School where he played football on the Metro Champs team. After receiving his B.S. and PhD from Auburn University, and his M.D. from the University of Miami College of Medicine, he returned to Orlando to raise his family and practice medicine. His post graduate training was completed at Florida Hospital Medical Center in 1976. He practiced in the emergency departments of Winter Park Memorial Hospital (now Florida Hospital Winter Park) for 14 years and Florida Hospital Fish Memorial in Orange City for 10 years.

Central Florida Urgent Care is staffed with a physician at all times, in addition to registered nurses, medical technicians, and office personnel. In addition, the Clinic's décor is calming and reminiscent of Florida's coasts because Dr. Barnard is such an avid tarpon and fly fisherman.

The Clinic is located at 2921 N. Orange Avenue Orlando, FL 32804. It is open Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. and Saturday through Sunday 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Visit the website at www.cfurgentcare.com or call 407-895-9777 for further questions.