Making a medical appointment should be stress-free and convenient. Especially when you’re a busy student or a working professional juggling school, work, and life.
It shouldn’t take weeks – or months – to see a provider to get care.
According to a recent survey by AMN Healthcare/Merritt Hawkins, the nationwide average wait time to see a doctor for a new patient appointment is 26 days.
That’s where Community Health Clinic in the Health Sciences Building at the Anschutz Medical Campus comes in. The nurse-led clinic run by the University of Colorado College of Nursing serves students, faculty, staff, their family members, as well as the Aurora community and, in most cases, can accommodate patients who need to be seen more quickly.
“A nurse-led clinic emphasizes holistic, patient-centered care,” says Zeina Dehni, MBA, MSN, FNP-BC, the clinic’s lead family nurse practitioner and instructor of clinical practice at CU Nursing. “Nurse practitioners play a crucial role in bridging gaps in care by providing timely and accessible healthcare. Our availability allows patients to receive prompt evaluation and management."
Expanding Care to Meet Your Needs
The Community Health Clinic offers primary, acute, and family care. Some examples of services include addressing short-term illnesses, minor injuries, preventive screenings, immunizations, chronic disease management, female wellness visits with routine gynecological care and various forms of contraception, referrals to specialty clinics.
Community Health Clinic
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“We’re continuously working to increase our services and access,” Dehni says. “We’ve seen a significant number of patients who haven’t been able to get with their primary care providers to assess their acute needs, so our clinic offers not only convenient but accessible care tailored to their needs.”
The clinic also helps students with immunization compliance and screenings before they start school.
“We may not become someone’s primary care provider, but we can be the in-between if they need help with certain care in a timely manner,” Dehni says.
Making Time For You
The clinic started expanding its hours to offer more convenient times for patients to get care. It’s now open Monday- Friday, from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., except for a one-hour closure from 12-1 p.m. for lunch.
“We understand student schedules are complicated, so we want to try to accommodate as best we can,” Dehni says.
Getting Students InvolvedCampus Community Clinic is expanding hands-on learning opportunities for nursing students. Through flu clinics, undergraduate and graduate students gain valuable experience in community healthcare. They have the opportunity to interact with individuals from diverse backgrounds, develop their communication skills, and administer flu vaccines—all while making a meaningful impact. “It’s so beneficial for them to help out at events like our flu vaccine clinics because for some of them, it’s their first time interacting with patients,” Dehni says. "We currently have some graduate-level advanced practice nursing students rotating through our clinic, providing them with valuable firsthand experience in primary care." |
It’s also easy to make an appointment. Established patients can book an appointment online. New patients can call the clinic at 303-724-6242 for scheduling and possible same-day availability.
"We triage patients by prioritizing those with acute care needs," Dehni says. "For example, if you're experiencing symptoms like shortness of breath or a urinary tract infection (UTI), we can assess some of these concerns over the phone. In certain cases, we may need to direct you to the emergency room or urgent care for immediate care."
Dehni says they are exploring the implementation of digital check-in stations to reduce wait times and are considering accepting cash payments, as the clinic currently does not accept cash. The clinic accepts most insurance plans, including Medicare and Medicaid.
“We’re equipped to see patients three years old and older, and we’re continuously working to enhance and expand our services,” Dehni says. “The clinic has highly educated and very experienced nurse practitioners offering inclusive care to the Aurora campus community.”
