JERSEY CITY, NJ, — Jersey City native, Dr. Tyeese Gaines, has returned home and established NOWmed Walk-In Urgent Care to give back to the community that shaped her. As the first black woman physician to open an urgent care center in Jersey City, Gaines is redefining the city’s medical landscape and reshaping people’s perception of what being a doctor should look like.
“As a woman in medicine, you’re always being called the nurse. To be a black woman in medicine is a whole new ballgame, so I could not let those perceptions stop me from getting where I am today,” says Gaines.
With that mindset, Gaines established NOWmed on West Side Avenue, which specializes in immediate care for acute illness and injury, and provides screenings and diagnostic services. Open seven days a week, 365 days a year, NOWmed is bringing accessible and affordable healthcare to those who need it most, but may have the least access to it.
Additionally, as a multilingual establishment, NOWmed can communicate with patients in Spanish, Haitian Creole and Vietnamese and has a translator on hand for all other languages.
These services meet the needs of the West Side community, and that is of special importance to Gaines who has seen and experienced the lack of easily accessible, comprehensive urgent care facilities in the area.
“Not everyone has access to a car or money for the bus to get to the hospital in critical situations. With NOWmed, it makes it so much easier for people of the West Side community to walk-in and get immediate care, whether they are insured or not,” says Gaines. “Opening this facility was especially important to me, because growing up, we did not have this type of access.”
After its grand opening in mid-December, NOWmed has seen a surge of patients, providing immediate care to those with fevers, strains, lacerations and much more. With X-ray services and laboratory testing on site, the center has everything it needs to provide patients with proper medical care, without delay.
“It’s truly an honor to be back in my hometown and bringing my passion with me. This is something I’ve aspired to do since a young age and it’s exciting to finally see it happen,” Gaines adds.
Her vision also includes a one-stop shop for non-emergency medical assistance, as well. In addition to their diagnostic services, NOWmed provides occupational medicine services, travel medicine consultation, and immigration physicals. NOWmed Walk-In Urgent Care is open Monday through Sunday at 555 West Side Avenue.
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