Fast Aid Urgent Care, a local, veteran-owned-and-operated chain of urgent care clinics, opened its first clinic nine years ago with the goal of supporting Central Texas communities with access to quality, compassionate and convenient medical care. In a major step toward reaching that goal, the clinic recently opened its ninth clinic, located in Dripping Springs, to fill the community’s growing expanding need for emergency medical care.

“We saw that [Dripping Springs] in particular had a large need for a quality urgent care [clinic],” said Charlie Heausler, co-founder and CEO of Fast Aid Urgent Care.

Providers in the area weren’t equipped with the capacity or training to address urgent medical situations. As a result, patients waited hours on end, either for a local provider or in the emergency room, where they also faced exorbitant medical bills for problems that could be addressed outside of a hospital setting.

“As an urgent care, you don't necessarily do emergencies like chest pains or bad belly pains, but those are few and far between compared to [other injuries and illnesses],” Heausler said. “You get a cut, you need some sutures. You broke a bone, you need to get splinted. Need a quick X-ray without having to go to the emergency room ... or trying to make an appointment with your primary doctor, where it takes anywhere from two weeks to two months to get in? With us, [you’re seen immediately].”

Heausler and his teams provide a true urgent care experience that puts the community first, unlike larger medical conglomerates, where executive teams are rarely attuned to clinics’ day-to-day operations or the communities in which those clinics are located. Heausler and his co-founders are determined to establish clinics equipped with dedicated, experienced providers that truly care for their patients.

“We don't use the bottom line to make our decisions. We use morals and ethics. And quite frankly, in today's world, that's hard to find,” Heausler said. “Nobody wants to come to urgent care and sit there all day. Life is busy. We want to get you in, get you out and give you good quality care.”

The clinic accepts all major insurance carriers and provides affordable care for noninsured patients, as well. It also offers occasional specials, such as $25 flu shots and $35 school and sports physicals, with email sign-ups so that community members can stay in the know.

Providing quality care

Fast Aid Urgent Care emphasizes morals, ethics and quality patient care over financial gain, and central to that aim is making sure clinics are deeply integrated within their communities.

“We are one of the few rare mom-and-pops that are still there,” Heausler said. “We get to serve the people that we live in the community with, and that's a big deal for us.”

He makes a point to visit each location weekly, building rapport with staff members, fostering closer relationships and ensuring teams feel supported, valued and heard. By investing in staff members as individuals, he strives to amplify their continued passion for providing medical care and the full, undivided attention patients deserve.

That care starts with convenient access. The clinic is open to walk-ins, so patients can simply go directly there or register online beforehand and join a virtual line. The Dripping Springs location is open eight hours a day on weekends, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., which balances access to care with ensuring team members have the work-life balance they deserve. During weekdays, it’s open 12 hours a day, from 8 a.m.-8 p.m., so that parents can get their kids in before school or after school with minimal disruption to families’ busy schedules.

“We try to be open where parents can get their kids in before school or right after,” Heausler said. “If there's an issue after school, the kids can still get seen, get homework done, get dinner done, and still get taken care of that same day.”

More about Fast Aid

While other urgent care clinics prioritize rapid expansion, Fast Aid Urgent Care concentrates on serving individual communities so that all people have access to affordable, accessible and outstanding medical care. And as a veteran himself, Heausler understands the importance of camaraderie and tight-knit teams in providing superior care to communities served.

“By being [veteran-owned], we've had tons of training that typical civilians don't get. One of the other things that it fosters is a camaraderie that's hard to find in the civilian world,” Heausler said. “We actually do care—that's a big deal for us. We actually do care. People aren't just a number.”

By stressing ethics and community, Fast Aid Urgent Care embodies the core of what medicine exists to do: serve and heal those in need. By running the clinics with reasonable profit margins, Fast Aid keeps costs low for patients while maintaining a high standard of care.

For those seeking convenient medical assistance from compassionate, diligent and highly skilled teams of medical providers, know that FastAid Urgent care is ready and waiting to provide the gold standard of care to better the lives of their neighbors and communities.

To learn more about Fast Aid Urgent Care, join the online waiting list or inquire about your current medical needs, visit the website or call 512-645-1282.

The above story was produced by Community Impact's Multi Platform Journalist Jacquelyn Chorush with information solely provided by the local business as part of its "sponsored content" purchase through our advertising team.