Arkansas was slow to embrace the concept of urgent care, but more of these low-cost clinics are beginning to pop up in the southern state. Little Rock, Cabot, Maumelle and Russellville have all been earmarked for new urgent care clinics.

Healthcare in Arkansas

Arkansas is near the bottom of the list when it comes to income and overall health of its residents. Some of the main reasons for this low ranking are due to high instances chronic illness like heart disease and cancer, as well as leading unhealthy lifestyles. But the cost of healthcare in Arkansas is among the highest. In fact, costs have doubled in the past decade. The steady increase of urgent care facilities is helping to alleviate some of that stress.

Urgent Care in Arkansas

Urgent care clinics help patients with minor, non-life threatening injuries and illnesses. These clinics ease the congestion in Arkansas emergency rooms, where it's not uncommon for patients to sit for hours in pain waiting to see a doctor for complaints as simple as kidney stones.

Urgent care clinics can also treat patients on evenings and weekends, when primary care physicians in the state are closed. This is very attractive to Arkansas residents who work full-time or have other commitments that prevent them seeing a doctor during business hours. While Arkansas doctors were initially worried the clinics may attempt to poach their patients, many are now referring their customers to the new medical centers.

Specific urgent care and walk-in clinic services available in may include STD testing flu shots, school physicals and many other valuable services