Page 5 - MidWeek - Dec 29, 2021

DECEMBER 29, 2021 MIDWEEK 5
Dr. Monica Price, chief of urgent care for Hawai‘i Pacific Health Medical Group, was born in Honolulu, but raised in various locations around the world. Her dad’s career as a U.S.foreign service offi- cer took the family to Wash- ington D.C., Lesotho, Japan, Somalia, Bulgaria and many other places in between.
DR. MONICA PRICE, chief of urgent care for Hawai‘i Pacific Health Medical Group Interviewed by Don Robbins
Learning All About Urgent Care
urgent care clinics in Burke, Virginia, in the 1980s,” Price adds.
cians who work at the Straub O‘ahu urgent care clinics (Kāhala, Ward Village, Ka Makana Ali‘i), Straub Docs on Call Clinics (Sheraton Waikīkī, Hilton Hawaiian Village) and the Kaua‘i Med- ical Clinic urgent care. I work with our physician leadership team to develop standard- ized workflow protocols in the clinics and participate in HPH systemwide initiatives that promote our mission of creating a healthier Hawai‘i.
comfort of your own home. Through video visits on your smartphone, tablet or com- puter, our board-certified physicians can deliver per- sonalized health care, and if necessary, they will instruct you on where to go for an in-person exam. To set up an appointment, call 808-824- 5237 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., every day of the year.
I like to think of urgent care as part of a patient’s health care team. We’ re here to help when a patient has an urgent need that isn’t serious enough to warrant an emer- gency room visit, and their primary care physician isn’t readily available. Some ben- efits of urgent care include shorter wait times, much less testing, and more economical and quicker delivery of pre- scriptions. Plus, when a pa- tient is cared for at our clinics, we keep their primary care
physician in the loop so the right follow-up care happens.
What do you love about your career?
“I’ve grown to be very thankful for all that traveling and the experiences it afford- ed me. It taught me the impor- tance of human connection and how the positive power of a smile is universal,” Price explains.
Among her accomplish- ments in 2020, Price re- ceived the Health Care Hero and George F. Straub awards — the latter given annual- ly to the physician who has demonstrated the highest level of achievement and ex- cellence.
I love that my career al- lows me to care for patients at times when they’re at their most vulnerable. I’ ve found that it’s not always the sci- ence of medicine that heals, but the art of the relationship between patient and physi- cian, even it’s a fleeting one in the urgent care setting. I also have to mention that work- ing with such wonderful, supportive Hawai‘i Pacific Health team members from my fellow physicians, to my clinical staff, to my adminis- trative partners, really helps me smile even in the most challenging of circumstances.
Meanwhile, her mother, who was a registered nurse for 50 years, inspired Price to go into medicine.
Here’s what else Price has to say about her career and background in medicine:
When patients have a med- ical concern, but don’t feel like it’s a life-threatening issue that needs emergency room care, urgent care clin- ics are there to help. We treat minor fractures, sprains, back pain, simple cuts, upper respi- ratory infections, urinary tract infections, skin infections, minor stomach illnesses, etc. Of course, we always advise patients to contact their pri-
How does telemedicine work as part of urgent care?
“Before retiring, she worked in all kinds of health care settings, including oper- ating rooms, pediatric clinics, rehabilitation services, the Peace Corps and an embassy. Interestingly, my mom also helped to open one of the first
What specifically do you do as chief of urgent care?
For patients with minor illnesses or injuries that may not require an in-person vis- it, our Virtual Urgent Care Clinic is a very convenient way to get the care needed without having to leave the
I’m interested in continu- ing to explore the concept of patient-centered, team-based care as a health care delivery model since it emphasizes the critical role patients them- selves play in their health and well-being.
“I was very humbled and appreciative after receiv- ing both awards, but it’s the support, hard work and ded- ication of the entire team of professionals I work with that really deserves recogni- tion. I could not do what I do without them, so I accepted the awards on their behalf,” she says.
How can people determine when to go to an urgent care facility?
Dr. Monica Price, chief of urgent care for the Hawai‘i Pacific Health Medical Group, examines a patient.
PHOTOS COURTESY
HAWAI‘I PACIFIC HEALTH
mary care physician first, whenever possible.
What is the role of urgent care in the overall picture of health care?
As division chief of ur- gent care for Hawai‘i Pacific Health, I oversee the physi-
A doctor is just a screen away.
Virtual Urgent Care gives you access to physician consultation, diagnosis and treatment for non-emergency conditions through your computer or mobile device. You are why we’re reimagining health care.