Tracy Dunn, owner of the Southwest Convenience Clinic, sits in one of the patient rooms on May 22. The clinic opened on May 26.

Tracy Dunn, owner of the Southwest Convenience Clinic, sits in one of the patient rooms on May 22. The clinic opened on May 26.
By Kelly Doran
Sun staff

Tracy Dunn has been dreaming of becoming a nurse practitioner and opening her own clinic since she graduated from nursing school 14 years ago.

Her dream is finally a reality, as the Southwest Convenience Clinic started taking patients on May 26, after an open house on May 24.

The urgent care is not affiliated with any hospital; it is owned and operated by Dunn. She started the process in January.

Dunn was looking to open SWCC in a more rural area because she lives in a rural area and she wants to make care available without a far drive, especially for those who don’t have enough money or don’t have a car to make the drive.

“I know that the patients out here, they need somebody that can meet their needs without driving an hour away. It’s very inconvenient,” Dunn said.

She hopes that her clinic will be able to take some of the burden off overflowing emergency rooms, as well.

The SWCC has another nurse practitioner in addition to Dunn, a physician assistant, a nurse, three paramedics and a certified nurse assistant.

The SWCC offers the following services: minor injuries, colds, physicals, well women exams, sutchering, vaccinations, allergy shots, immunizations, uncomplicated high blood pressure and cholesterol diabetes and incision and draining of abscesses.

The clinic will begin to offer Department of Transportation physicals soon and will get an X-Ray machine in about a year, Dunn said.

“I am so ready or excited, a little nervous but I think it will go over just fine,” Dunn said.

The clinic currently has four exam rooms, but there are four more rooms Dunn could expand into. She hopes to bring in a family practice to put in those other four rooms.

The SWCC is open Monday, Tuesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eventually, Dunn plans to be open seven days a week.

The clinic is located at 720 West Plane St. in Bethel. Contact the SWCC at 513-427-4057.