New clinics fill a niche for routine healthcare

Gainesville's first MinuteClinic opened two weeks ago inside a CVS and another one will open next month. The clinics, numbering more than 600 in the United States, specialize in treating minor illnesses and injuries, monitoring chronic conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure, and doing routine physicals and vaccinations. Their intent is to fulfill a need in between an urgent care clinic and a primary-care doctor's office. MinuteClinic is one of a few local clinics that in the dawn of healthcare reforms is set to make healthcare more accessible.