PYEONGTAEK, South Korea — The Camp Humphreys medical clinic has changed its hours to make it easier for busy troops to get care.
The changes affect hours for sick call, primary care, and pharmacy and lab service.
Troops and family members have often said at public meetings that they wanted clinic hours to better match their pressing work schedules.
"It just benefits everybody, when everybody’s busy with family or work," said Robert H. McElroy, spokesman for the U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys.
As of earlier this month, sick call times have changed from morning to afternoon, 4:30 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. daily.
Primary Care clinic hours have been extended on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 4:40 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Pharmacy and lab service hours have been extended Tuesday and Wednesdays from 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., and Mondays and Fridays from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
An after-hours clinic is open 24 hours a day for urgent medical needs.
One benefit of the later sick call hours is that more clinic staff are available to tend to patients, said McElroy.
Previously, he said, soldiers often would show up for sick call and be "left to wait a while," he said.
"The clinic reasoned that by having it late in the day they’d be able to give them better attention and get them in and out faster," McElroy said.
The changes to primary care, the pharmacy and the lab benefit virtually all clinic users, he said.