Urgent Care clinic to open at East Glen

Bradenton Herald – June 23, 2007 - A new urgent care facility is slated to open July 1 in East Glen Professional Park.

Lakewood Ranch Urgent Care will join Gateway Pediatrics, Children's Dentistry of Manatee, Sunny Daze Preschool and A Purple Rose florist in the plaza.

Dr. Eric M. Folkens and his wife, Teri, a registered nurse, are taking over an existing Healthcare America Walk-In Clinic and renaming it Lakewood Ranch Urgent Care.

The facility, at 9908 State Road 64, across from Greenfield Plantation, will be open seven days a week, 9 a.m to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sundays.

Donna DeSantis, owner of Sunny Daze Preschool, said she is pleased to see the new walk-in practice. "That will benefit us a lot and be convenient for us," she said.

Folkens has practiced in the Bradenton-Sarasota area for about two years, most recently with Manatee Family Physicians in Bradenton and Sarasota Memorial Urgent Care.

"I'm happy to have the opportunity to provide this service to a great community. It's my intention to save my patients a lot of time and money by providing a convenient alternative to urgent care treatment at busy hospital emergency rooms." Folkens said of the move to East Manatee. The clinic is about halfway between Lakewood Ranch and Heritage Harbour.

The 3,000-square-foot facility will provide urgent and primary medical care. Most insurance plans will be accepted, as well as cash, checks and charge cards.

James A. Jones Jr., East Manatee editor, can be reached at 708-7916.

For information on Lakewood Ranch Urgent Care, visit www.LWRUC.com. The office phone number is 747-8600.

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Nothing New Under the Sun

Bradenton, Florida - May 08, 2007 - In 1920 the Bradenton Chamber of Commerce boasted that Bradenton was a "progressive, growing city located on the Manatee River with a population of 3,868". That same year Dr. Charles Larrabee and his wife Dovie, a registered nurse, moved to Bradenton and bought the two story home of Dr. D.M. Leonard on 9th Avenue West (near the Badcock Furniture store downtown today). They established the Larrabee Hospital at that location and later changed the name to the Bradenton General Hospital in 1925.

By 1925 the Bradenton population had ballooned to over 10,000. Dr. Larrabee performed surgery and provided medical care at the hospital for ten years before retiring. Mrs. Larrabee functioned as registered nurse, general supervisor, director, and first assistant in the operating room.

In that same pioneering spirit, Dr. Eric M. Folkens and his wife Teri, a registered nurse, will take over the Healthcare America Walk-In Clinic location at 9908 S.R. 64 East, approximately one mile east of I-75 between Lena Road and Lakewood Ranch Bld. They've renamed the practice Lakewood Ranch Urgent Care, P.A.

Bradenton is still the "progressive, growing city located on the Manatee River", however the population in 2006 was 311,102 for all of Manatee County. In five years the population is expected to balloon to 348,915. Like Dr. Larrabee and his wife before him, Dr. Folkens and his wife expect a growing demand for affordable, convenient high quality medical care in east Manatee County.

Thanks to Freedom Bank, on July 1, 2007 Lakewood Ranch Urgent Care, PA will start providing urgent and primary medical care from sore throats to fractured bones to Bradenton patients. Most insurance plans will be accepted, as well as cash, checks, and charge cards and no appointment is needed. The new walk-in medical center will be open seven days a week, Monday through Saturday from 9am till 8pm, and Sunday from 12pm till 6pm. See Lakewood Ranch Urgent Care's new website for more informaion at www.LWRUC.com.