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Park Ridge health-care center offers one-stop wellness shopping
Dr. Lawrence Pankau stands outside Presence Center for Health at 205 S. Northwest Hwy. in Park Ridge. The center includes medical offices, on-site labs and an immediate-care center. | Dan Luedert~Sun-Times Media
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NAME: Presence Center for Health
ADDRESS: 205 S. Northwest Highway, Park Ridge
SPECIALTY: Health-care services
PHONE: (877) 737-INFO
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Updated: September 17, 2012 6:04AM
PARK RIDGE — When Dr. Lawrence Pankau was a child in the 1950s his mother would take him to the open field belonging to a Park Ridge convent and deliver cold drinks to an uncle who was the caretaker of the site.
Today the area, located north of Northwest Highway and Washington Avenue and consisting of office buildings, homes and a future Whole Foods Market, barely resembles the scene of Pankau’s youth, but one thing hasn’t changed: It is still very much a part of Pankau’s life.
Pankau is one of six full-time physicians on staff at the new Presence Center for Health, 205 S. Northwest Highway. The center, operated by Resurrection Health Care and Provena Health Care, opened in June and offers a range of services, including internal and family medicine, a seven-day-a-week immediate-care center, an advance-imaging center, on-site lab testing and occupational health services.
Pankau, who practices internal medicine, previously saw patients at Resurrection Medical Group’s 132 S. Prospect Ave. office, but opted to relocate to the new Presence Center, noting the convenience for patients and physicians and the technology offered there.
“We obviously have good people and now we’ve got beautiful tools and a beautiful facility to continue with — and it’s all in one place,” Pankau said.
“We call it a neighborhood center,” said Starr Novak, vice president of business development and ambulatory care for Resurrection Health Care. “We’re going to the neighborhood and meeting the health-care needs of that community.”
Park Ridge was selected based on its location near main thoroughfares and the community need for a neighborhood immediate-care center, Novak said.
The immediate-care center offers treatment for minor medical conditions that include colds and flu, fevers, ear infections, minor burns and cuts, allergic reactions, sprains and fractures. In addition, school, work and sports physicals are offered, as are immunizations and drug-and-alcohol testing. Appointments are not necessary and the center provides services that allow patients to avoid lengthy hospital emergency-room waits and higher costs, Novak said.
“Our prices are going to be substantially lower than a hospital because we don’t have the overhead of a hospital,” she explained.
The immediate-care center is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays, and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays and holidays.
The use of pastel colors and the creation of private waiting areas were two ways Presence Center was designed to be comforting to patients, reported Sonja Vojcic, a Resurrection Health Care spokeswoman.
“We are designing the building around the patient so they feel better when they come in,” she said.
Customer service is also a focal point. Presence employs “patient navigators” who help patients make their next appointment, schedule a test, or connect with a specialist or other physician.
In addition the center is one of only two facilities in Northern Illinois to offer low-dose-radiation CT scans and X-rays, Vojcic said.
Presence Center is located in the former Polish Women’s Alliance building, which has been completely renovated. Future plans call for the second floor of the building to include a cardiac-care center, women’s-health center, sports medicine and orthopedic care. The additions are expected to be available next year.
“It’s kind of like one-stop shopping in your community,” Novak said.
