McLEOD REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER 1 NOVEMBER 2010

(11/01/10) –
New Physicians
McLeod Urgent Care Centers are please to welcome two new physicians, Dr. Richard Ferro and Dr. Gabriel Fornari, Sr. These physicians each care for patients at both McLeod Urgent Care Centers in Florence and Darlington.

Dr. Ferro received his medical degree from the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Camden, New Jersey, and completed a residency in Family Medicine at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Mount Holly, New Jersey. He also completed a Sports Medicine fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania.

Dr. Ferro is board certified in both Family Medicine and Sports Medicine, and comes to McLeod from a Family Medicine and Sports Medicine practice in Durham, North Carolina, where he served as Medical Director. While in Durham, Dr. Ferro also saw patients in Urgent Care and Occupational Medicine clinics. Additionally, Dr. Ferro served as Head Medical Team Physician for Duke University where he founded and directed the Duke University Medical Center Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship Program.

Dr. Fornari received his medical degree from West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia. He completed a residency in Family Medicine at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia.

Dr. Fornari is board certified in Family Medicine, and comes to McLeod from an imaging practice in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Prior to that, Dr. Fornari cared for patients at a family practice in Bluffton, South Carolina. Dr. Fornari also treated patients for more than 20 years as an Emergency Medicine physician in Hungtington, West Virginia.

Flu Vaccines
McLeod Urgent Care Centers are now offering flu vaccines to help protect patients from getting the flu. The best way to prevent the flu is to get a flu vaccine each year.

McLeod Urgent Care offers the vaccine injection to adults and children four years of age and older. The seasonal flu vaccine protects against three influenza viruses that research indicates will be most common during the upcoming flu season. Viruses in the vaccine change each year based on observations seen internationally and scientists’ estimations.

Who Should Be Vaccinated:
It is especially important that the following groups get vaccinated, because they are at high risk of having serious flu-related complications; or because they live with or care for people at high risk for developing complications:

• Pregnant women
• Children
• People 50 years of age and older
• People of any age with certain chronic medical conditions
• People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
• People who live with or care for those at high risk for complications from the flu, including:
• Health care workers
• Household contacts of persons at high risk for complications from the flu
• Household contacts and out-of-home caregivers of children less than six months old

Who Should Not Be Vaccinated:
These people should not receive a flu vaccine without first consulting their physician:

• People who have a severe allergy to chicken eggs
• People who have had a severe reaction to an influenza vaccination
• People who developed Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) within 6 weeks of getting an influenza vaccine
• Children less than six months of age (influenza vaccine is not approved for this age group)
• People who have a moderate-to-severe illness with a fever (wait until recovery to be vaccinated)

When to Get Vaccinated:
People should get vaccinated as soon as possible, but may be vaccinated at anytime during the flu season, which typically extends through March. After two weeks of vaccination, antibodies that provide protection against influenza virus infection develop in the body.

Vaccine Effectiveness:
The ability of a flu vaccine to protect a person depends on the age and health of the person getting the vaccine. It also relies on the similarity or match between the viruses in the vaccine and those in circulation.

Vaccine Side Effects:
Side effects for the vaccine may include soreness, redness, or swelling where the shot was given, low-grade fever, or body aches.

Information on Flu Vaccines provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For more information, visit www.cdc.gov/flu.

About McLeod Urgent Care Centers

McLeod Urgent Care Centers Provide:

• Prompt and expedient care for non-life threatening illnesses.
• Care for adults and children with conditions such as abdominal pain, flu-like symptoms, fractures, headaches, lacerations and strep throat.
• A supplement to the primary care physician, and quick access for those who do not have a primary care physician.
• Annual, camp, and sports physicals
• Testing (flu, pregnancy, and strep throat)
• X-Ray Imaging (Darlington, Florence); CT Imaging (Florence)
• Occupational Medicine – Businesses can send employees at their convenience to the closest McLeod Urgent Care location for quick Department of Transportation exams, drug testing, employee physicals, and treatment of minor work-related injuries.

McLeod Urgent Care Centers are open Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.; Saturday 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., and Sunday 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. (Florence) and 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. (Darlington). McLeod Urgent Care Center is located at 3015 W. Palmetto Street, Florence, and can be reached by calling (843) 777 – 6870. McLeod Urgent Care Darlington is located at 964 Lochend Drive, Darlington, and can be reached at (843) 777 – 6890.