Mercy Medical Center Offers Fever Upper Respiratory Infection Clinic for Patients

WESTFIELD — FURI (fever upper respiratory infection) clinics are dedicated facilities that assess, treat, and reassure people, and, if necessary, triage them through the healthcare system. The purpose of a FURI clinic is to keep people who are experiencing symptoms of an upper-respiratory-tract illness out of the Emergency Department and physician offices. This will help to limit the spread of disease among vulnerable populations, such as the elderly.

Mercy Medical Center’s FURI Clinic is located at 395 Southampton Road in Westfield. The hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The phone number is (413) 533-2900. While COVID-19 testing is not available at the FURI Clinic, radiology (CXR) services are nearby. 

FURI clinics serve patients that need to be evaluated in an outpatient setting for symptoms like fever, cough, runny nose, or shortness of breath. These clinics can assess and treat potentially large numbers of people with appropriate levels of infection control. They’re also staffed by colleagues dedicated to this one task, so expertise is concentrated in one location. FURI clinics are part of a broad, emergency-health response to the coronavirus.

Appointments are required at Mercy Medical Center’s FURI Clinic, as patients cannot be seen on a walk-in basis. Patients with symptoms like fever, cough, runny nose, or shortness of breath need to call their primary-care provider or the FURI Clinic first for initial triage by a clinician.

Minimally ill patients may be advised to stay at home with enhanced self-monitoring based on clinical judgment.