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Mercy Urgent Care

Asheville, Brevard, Burnsville, Columbus, Waynesville & Weaverville NC

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Keely Knopp

American Heart Month

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When tending to your heart this month ahead of Valentine’s Day, don’t forget to extend some love to your anatomical heart, as well.

American Heart Month, celebrated every February, was created to spread awareness of heart health, while also motivating Americans to adopt healthy lifestyles and prevent heart disease. The world’s No. 1 killer, cardiovascular disease claims 17.9 million lives globally each year and is responsible for one of every four deaths (about 655,000 annually) in America. According to the CDC, one person in the U.S. dies every 36 seconds from cardiovascular disease. But, by controlling risk factors like tobacco use, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity, about 80 percent of premature deaths from heart disease and stroke can be avoided.

So what can you do — both for your heart and the hearts of your loved ones?

Eat Well and Drink Wisely

  • Cut out sugar-filled beverages like sodas. Instead, try water with a slice of cucumber or a sprig of mint.
  • Cut down on processed, prepackaged foods. Whole foods like fruits, veggies, cheese or nuts contain just what your body needs (and less of what makes it ill).
  • Try to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables daily. If that sounds like a lot, blend fruits and vegetables into smoothies — or get creative with your salads.
  • Meal plan by making large batches of healthy foods — grains and vegetables — and take it to work for lunch all week.
  • Limit your alcohol consumption to the recommended amounts for your age and gender.

Get Up and Move

  • Try to fit in at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity five times a week.
  • To keep you on your toes, mix up your exercise. Walking, dancing and intense housework all count as exercise.
  • If you spend much of your day sitting — whether it’s at a computer, hard at work, or binging the latest hot television series — remember to stand up and move around at least once an hour. Get up, walk around, climb stairs, do squats — whatever it takes to get a mini-workout in before getting back to work (or play).
  • Take advantage of Asheville’s wonderful hiking and biking opportunities. We live in one of the most gorgeous regions in the country, so don’t forget to take full advantage of our wonderful scenic exercise opportunities.
  • Let technology help! It’s a great time to be fit, with technology like Fitbits, Apple watches and smartphone apps that allow you to track your exercise progress, whether it’s miles walked, steps climbed or calories burned.

Stop Smoking

  • This is the single most important thing you can do for your heart and your overall health — and it’s one of the easiest to do, if you set your mind to it. By quitting use of tobacco products, your heart is already automatically healthier than those who continue to smoke. This one act can reduce or even reverse heart disease in patients.
  • Those around you stand to benefit from you quitting too. If no longer exposed to second-hand smoke, your loved ones will also benefit and have stronger overall health.

Columbus, Waynesville Locations Expand Hours

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Mercy Urgent Care is expanding operating hours at its Waynesville and Foothills locations beginning January 1, 2023. The Waynesville clinic, located at 124 Frazier St., and Foothills clinic, located at 140 W. Mills St. in Columbus, will now be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week.

“Our mission at Mercy is to make healthcare available to all those who seek it. That mission guides everything we do,” said Operations Director Aaron Styles. “Increasing our center hours in these two communities has become necessary due to recent increases in demand for care. It will result in keeping patient wait times reasonable and ensuring a high quality of care, while meeting the higher demand.”

The hours for the other six clinics remain the same — 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week for the East Asheville, South Asheville, Brevard and Burnsville locations; and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays at the West Asheville and Weaverville locations.

Locations

West Asheville

1201 Patton Avenue | phone icon (828) 252-4878
Monday – Friday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
7 Days a Week, 362 Days a Year (Closed Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas)
Request a ride: UBER | LYFT
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Waynesville

120 Frazier Street Suite 6 | phone icon (828) 210.8333
Monday - Sunday: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
7 Days a Week, 362 Days a Year (Closed Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas)
Request a ride: UBER | LYFT
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Weaverville

61 Weaver Boulevard Suite 105 | phone icon (828) 645-5088
Monday - Friday: 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday: 8 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.
7 Days a Week, 362 Days a Year (Closed Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas)
Request a ride: UBER | LYFT
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Brevard

22 Trust Lane | phone icon (828) 883.2600
Monday - Saturday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.; closed on Sundays
7 Days a Week, 362 Days a Year (Closed Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas)
Request a ride: UBER | LYFT
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Foothills (Columbus)

140 West Mills Street, Columbus | phone icon (828) 802-1011
Monday - Sunday: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
7 Days a Week, 362 Days a Year (Closed Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas)
Request a ride: UBER | LYFT
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Burnsville

41 Charlie Brown Road | phone icon (828) 536-5575
Monday – Sunday: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
7 Days a Week, 362 Days a Year (Closed Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas)
Request a ride: UBER | LYFT
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East Asheville

1272 Tunnel Road | phone icon (828) 210-8325
Monday - Sunday 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
7 Days a Week, 362 Days a Year (Closed Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas)
Request a ride: UBER | LYFT
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South Asheville

1833 Hendersonville Road | phone icon (828) 274-1462
Monday – Sunday 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
7 Days a Week, 362 Days a Year (Closed Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas)
Request a ride: UBER | LYFT
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Boone

200 Watauga Village Dr., Boone NC 28607 | phone icon
Coming Soon
Request a ride:
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Slips & Falls

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When winter weather comes howling at your company’s door, hazardous situations increase the risk of injury for employees in any field. In fact, slips, trips, and falls in the workplace cause nearly 700 fatalities per year, with many more injurious accidents reported.

More than one million Americans seek treatment for slip-and-fall injuries each year, with numbers dramatically increasing during the winter months due to snow, ice and holiday hustle. According to the National Safety Council, slips and falls are the leading cause of lost days from work.

To help you protect employees from slip-and-fall accidents at work, we’ve outlined a few tips below.

  • Recognize and evaluate the hazard. Identify any surfaces where slips may occur, and warn employees of the potential hazard. Check walkways for ice after severe weather or when temperatures are at or below freezing, and be aware that employees may also track water inside with wet or snowy footwear.
  • Control the hazard. If ice has accumulated along a workplace walkway or parking area, add barriers around the ice to warn employees and call attention to the hazard. When possible, de-ice or salt walkways to control ice accumulation ahead of winter storms or freezing temperatures. If these conditions do occur, consider providing employees with additional protective equipment or train employees specifically on procedures for icy conditions.
  • Communicate safety procedures to employees. Instruct workers to avoid icy sidewalks and other slick surfaces when possible, and ask that they heed the following precautions:
    • Wear shoes with thick-treaded rubber or neoprene soles when walking on icy surfaces and prop yourself up by using a walking stick or gripping walls or handrails where applicable.
    • On ice, learn the penguin walk: Feet apart, knees slightly bent, arms out for balance — and take slow, shuffling steps.
    • Be extra cautious on smooth surfaces, such as newly waxed floors.
    • Clean up or report spills right away.
    • Ensure that you can see where you’re walking. Don’t carry loads you cannot see over.
    • Properly maintain walking areas and keep them lit and free of clutter.
    • Don’t jump off of landings or loading docks. Use the stairs.
    • Repair or replace loose or broken stairs and handrails.
    • If a fall is inevitable, minimize impact by leaning forward, bending the elbows and knees and relaxing your muscles. Try to break the fall with your thigh, hip or shoulder, as bones in the arms, wrists and knees are easier to fracture — and protect your head from hitting the ground.


Unfortunately slips, trips and falls aren’t completely unavoidable, but when they do occur, Mercy Urgent Care is here to help with treatment.

Sources: National Safety Council, National Floor Safety Institute

Give the Gift of Health

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The holidays are a time for giving back and helping others via gifts of time, money, or physical presents. But did you know helping others is actually good for you as well? Research shows that the act of giving can boost your physical and mental health in numerous ways.

Mood enhancement Giving can stimulate your brain’s mesolimbic pathway, or reward center, while releasing endorphins — serotonin, which regulates your mood; dopamine, which gives you a sense of pleasure; and oxytocin, which creates a sense of connection with others. This can lead to a “helper’s high” that boosts self-esteem, elevates happiness and combats feelings of depression.

Lower blood pressure Generosity truly is good for your heart. Researchers found that giving to others can lower your blood pressure. Given that heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, and that high blood pressure puts people at a higher risk of a heart attack, spending money on others will help you live longer.

A longer lifespan The secret to living longer may be giving more of yourself. Studies show that people who volunteer tend to live longer than those who don’t.

Less stress Want to melt away stress? The best solution may be to help someone else. Gift-giving or volunteering can reduce your levels of cortisol, the stress hormone that can make you feel overwhelmed or anxious.

While it can be difficult to find the time and resources to help others during the busy holiday season, by choosing Mercy Urgent Care for your urgent care needs you are already contributing to the greater good. It’s simple. By using the services of nonprofit Mercy Urgent Care you are part of a community of caring, and your support means that Mercy Urgent Care can continue to thrive and expand its work:

  • providing affordable and high-quality healthcare services for the citizens of Western North Carolina;
  • helping patients without the financial means to pay, with funding from the financial assistance program, Compassionate Care (the program covers more than half a million dollars in undercompensated care each year); and
  • sending medical teams and supplies internationally to communities in need.

Give the gift of health — to yourself and your friends and family — with a MercyMe membership. Contact Jon Medin at jmedin@mercyurgentcare.org or call 828.252.3443 to learn more.

Holiday Overtime Work

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It’s no secret that many workers face longer hours as the holidays heat up and temperatures cool down — whether it’s potholes that need filling, streets that need salting, packages that need delivering or power that needs restoring.

As overtime kicks into full gear this holiday season, with workers on the streets after normal business hours, employers’ needs for 24/7 screening services are more apparent than ever — and Mercy is here to help.

At Mercy Urgent Care, we understand the need for high-quality drug screenings and breath alcohol testing in the workplace rarely happens at a convenient time, especially during the holidays. That’s why we created Screen 24/7, a screening and testing service for employers available 24 hours per day, seven days per week.

Screenings typically occur within one hour of scheduling services, ensuring post-accident and reasonable suspicion testing are done conveniently and in compliance with regulation.

Employers can register for this after-hours service here or by contacting Jon Medin at jmedin@mercyurgentcare.org or by calling 828.252.3443. To learn more about how Screen 24/7 can assist your company, click here.

Thanksgiving Safety Tips

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Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to gather with friends and family, eat delicious food, watch football or the parade, and travel. While Thanksgiving is filled with all these wonderful moments, it can also bring the possibility of burns, cuts, scrapes and falls. Planning ahead and knowing the common risks of Thanksgiving activities can help ensure that your holidays stay fun and joyous — without the pain of a trip to urgent care.

Did you know that house fires increase more than three times the daily national average on Thanksgiving, with cooking incidents responsible for almost half of the fires reported? In 2019, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated 1,400 cooking fires on Thanksgiving, with unattended cooking listed as the leading contributing factor by far in cooking fires and fire deaths.

Top safety tips

  • If you’re in on the cooking, stay in the kitchen and remain attentive to items on the stove. Set timers for items in the oven, and ensure all stovetop burners are turned off and cleared of debris when not in use.
  • Keep young children away from kitchen dangers like hot stoves, knives and open flames.
  • Keep a fire extinguisher near the kitchen. Baking soda can also be an effective way to extinguish small kitchen fires (and never use flour as a substitute!).
  • Keep the floor clear so you don’t trip over kids, toys, purses or bags.
  • Make sure your smoke alarms are working properly.
  • Don’t drink and drive. Thanksgiving has an increased risk of alcohol-related fatalities. In 2019, 29% of Thanksgiving fatalities involved an alcohol-impaired driver.
  • Know basic first aid and CPR. With all the food Thanksgiving often brings, there’s an increased risk of choking (and of complications of heart disease). Knowing how render basic first aid and CPR for these emergencies can save lives.

While much of our thoughts on safety center around the workplace, it is important to remember personal safety during the holidays, as well. A little attention and some preparation can go a long way toward ensuring a safe and happy holiday.

Source: National Safety Council, National Fire Protection Association

The Mercy Occupational Medicine team wishes you and your loved ones a safe and happy Thanksgiving.