Growing Number Of Nurse-Owned Health Clinics Opening In Rural Missouri

Main Category: Nursing / Midwifery
Also Included In: Public Health
Article Date: 31 Aug 2007 - 17:00 PDT

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A growing number of health clinics owned by nurses with advanced training are opening in rural areas of Missouri, the AP/St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. According to the AP/Post-Dispatch, nurse-owned clinics in Missouri are replacing the "country doctor" in rural areas for people seeking treatment of minor health ailments, such as sore throats, ear infections and sprained ankles. State law requires nurse-owned clinics to regularly consult with supervising physicians, most of whom work elsewhere, and review patient charts and discuss patient cases.

According to the University of Missouri Sinclair School of Nursing, more than a dozen such clinics have begun operations in the past several years -- a trend that coincides with a nationwide increase in retail health clinics at supermarkets, drug stores and strip malls. Most retail clinics are owned by large corporations, such as Wal-Mart, and are managed by nurse practitioners and physician assistants (AP/St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 8/28).

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