Sarah Martinez remembers the panic that hit her last Saturday evening. Her 8-year-old son had developed a high fever and started complaining about severe ear pain. It was 6:30 p.m., her pediatrician’s office was closed, and the nearest emergency room meant a two-hour wait with a sick, crying child.
“I kept thinking, ‘Why can’t I just get help when I need it?'” Sarah recalls. “We ended up driving 45 minutes to find an urgent care that was still open, and by then my son was miserable.”
Stories like Sarah’s are exactly why UR Medicine Thompson Health just made a decision that could change healthcare access for thousands of families across Ontario and Wayne counties. Starting February 22nd, all three Thompson urgent care locations are dramatically expanding their hours to serve patients when they need help most.
Extended Hours Bring Relief to Working Families
Thompson urgent care centers in Canandaigua, Farmington, and Newark will now operate seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. This represents a significant expansion from their previous limited weekend and evening availability.
The change means families won’t have to choose between missing work for medical appointments or waiting until their condition worsens. Patient registration remains open until 7:45 p.m. each evening, giving people those crucial extra minutes to get care before closing time.
“A necessary component of serving our patients and community is being accessible,” explains Grant Alef, director of emergency medicine administration. “This change provides consistent availability at all three locations. It should help patients avoid delays in care and contribute to overall better outcomes and service.”
The timing couldn’t be better for local residents who’ve struggled with limited after-hours medical options. Many working parents have found themselves juggling childcare, work schedules, and medical emergencies with few convenient solutions.
What You Need to Know About the New Schedule
The expanded hours affect all three Thompson urgent care locations, each strategically positioned to serve different communities across the region. Here’s everything you need to know about accessing care at these facilities:
| Location | Address | New Hours | Registration Cutoff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canandaigua | 699 S. Main St. | 8 AM – 8 PM (7 days) | 7:45 PM |
| Farmington | 1160 Corporate Drive | 8 AM – 8 PM (7 days) | 7:45 PM |
| Newark | 800 W. Miller St. | 8 AM – 8 PM (7 days) | 7:45 PM |
Key services available at Thompson urgent care include:
- Treatment for minor injuries and cuts requiring stitches
- Cold, flu, and respiratory illness care
- Ear and eye infections
- Minor fractures and sprains
- Skin conditions and allergic reactions
- Basic diagnostic testing including X-rays and lab work
The facilities also handle workplace injuries, school and sports physicals, and vaccinations. This comprehensive approach means fewer trips to multiple healthcare providers for routine needs.
Quality Care That Patients Actually Want
The decision to expand hours builds on Thompson urgent care’s impressive patient satisfaction track record. Through Press Ganey surveys, their teams earned 97th percentile patient satisfaction scores, with the Canandaigua location achieving an exceptional 99th percentile ranking.
“These results reflect our strong culture of quality, compassionate care, and our commitment to delivering an exceptional patient experience,” says Executive Vice President and COO Kurt Koczent.
Those satisfaction scores aren’t just numbers on a report. They represent real experiences from patients who’ve received care when they needed it most. Many urgent care facilities struggle with long wait times, impersonal service, or limited treatment options. Thompson urgent care has clearly found a way to balance efficiency with genuine patient care.
The expansion also addresses a growing need in healthcare accessibility. Many people work traditional business hours and can’t easily take time off for medical appointments. Others prefer weekend care to avoid disrupting their work week. The new schedule accommodates both scenarios.
Real Impact for Local Communities
For families like the Martinez household, these expanded hours represent more than convenience—they offer peace of mind. Parents won’t have to choose between expensive emergency room visits and waiting until Monday morning when their child develops symptoms on a Saturday night.
The change particularly benefits several key groups in the community:
- Working parents who struggle to find childcare for daytime medical appointments
- Shift workers whose schedules don’t align with traditional medical office hours
- Elderly patients who prefer avoiding crowded emergency rooms for non-critical issues
- College students and young adults who need flexible healthcare access
Local employers may also see benefits as their workers have more options for handling medical needs without missing entire workdays. Quick access to urgent care can prevent minor issues from developing into more serious health problems that require extended time off.
“We’re seeing more demand for healthcare that fits people’s lives, not the other way around,” notes a healthcare industry analyst familiar with regional trends. “Thompson’s expansion recognizes that medical emergencies don’t follow a 9-to-5 schedule.”
The expanded hours also reduce pressure on area emergency rooms, which often see patients with urgent but non-emergency conditions during evening and weekend hours. This helps ensure emergency departments can focus on the most critical cases while urgent care handles appropriate conditions more efficiently.
For the Ontario and Wayne county communities, this change represents a significant improvement in healthcare accessibility. Residents no longer need to travel long distances or wait hours for care that can be provided quickly and effectively at local urgent care facilities.
The February 22nd start date gives Thompson urgent care teams time to adjust staffing and ensure they maintain their high-quality service standards across the extended hours. Given their proven track record of patient satisfaction, residents can expect the same level of care they’ve come to trust, just with much greater availability.
FAQs
Do I need an appointment at Thompson urgent care?
No appointment is necessary, but you can register online or by phone to reduce wait times.
What insurance plans does Thompson urgent care accept?
Most major insurance plans are accepted, but you should verify coverage with your specific provider before visiting.
Can Thompson urgent care handle pediatric patients?
Yes, all locations provide care for patients of all ages, including children and infants.
What’s the difference between urgent care and the emergency room?
Urgent care handles non-life-threatening conditions that need prompt attention, while emergency rooms treat serious, life-threatening situations.
Will the new hours affect wait times?
The expanded schedule is designed to distribute patient volume more evenly throughout the week, potentially reducing overall wait times.
Do all three locations offer the same services?
Yes, each Thompson urgent care location provides the same comprehensive range of urgent care services and diagnostic capabilities.
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