68Nurse: More than Telephone Triage
The 68Nurse call service went live on July 6, 2009, and this week the call center will be celebrating 14 years of service to the community. The 68Nurse team consists of Registered Nurses located in the Permian Basin who have worked in our local Emergency Departments, hospitals, and clinics. Over the years call volumes have varied depending on the needs of the community. In the years before the COVID-19 pandemic, the call center averaged around 54,000 calls per year. In 2019, the yearly call volume jumped to over 90,000 calls, and the biggest increases were seen in 2020 and 2021 with volumes of 102,000 and 170,000 respectively. During this time, the call center teams were heavily involved in helping schedule community vaccine appointments, scheduling COVID-19 testing appointments, and creating a new call line to help manage community anxiety by delivering answers to COVID-19 related questions. Volumes have remained steady at an average of 6500 calls per month since the end of 2022.
Many in the community recognize the benefit of 68Nurse with its 24/7 access to a Registered Nurse provided free of charge. However, many service lines exist within the call center. Our teams operate the local transfer center, utilized by smaller surrounding hospitals needing a place to send patients with higher acuity needs or treatments. The transfers into Midland Memorial Hospital are coordinated by our team of nurses working with an interdisciplinary hospital team to facilitate patient placement. The transfer center also provides a process to directly admit patients from our physician’s offices, thereby preventing long delays waiting in the lobby or the Emergency Department for room assignments. Another service line provided by the call center is an after-hours call service for our local clinics. One of the benefits of working with 68Nurse is the availability of a local Registered Nurse to help triage your symptoms and help guide you in the care you need, even if the office is closed. The team currently provides this service for all the Midland Health Premier Primary Health clinics, some specialty clinics, and several other clinics throughout Midland and Odessa.
The main service provided by 68Nurse is the free telephone triage of medical symptoms provided by our team of Registered Nurses. If you have a medical question or symptoms and need to know what care to seek, our nurses will answer the call 24/7. Many times, symptoms can be treated at home or by a primary care physician, and this can be a less expensive option than a trip to the Emergency Department. Nurses can provide education on medications, medical symptom management, post-discharge instructions, wound management, psychiatric resources and symptom management, pediatric disease and symptoms management, and can provide advice on where to seek care if necessary. Nurses can also help get you an appointment with a primary care provider if you don’t currently have one.
If you are unsure about what to do, where to go, or who to call with a medical situation or advice, remember our local Registered Nurses at 68Nurse are ready and available 24/7, to provide services free of charge. Just call 432-686-8773 or toll free at 855-686-8773. You may just hear a familiar voice!