Pediatrician Jeremy Porter, MD, is back in Hot Springs and seeing patients at Healthy Connections Pediatrics, located at 3604 Central Ave.
While Porter is new to Healthy Connections, he’s not new to the Hot Springs/Malvern area.
“We came to Hot Springs about three years ago and I’ve taken care of lots and lots of kids in this area,” He said. “I love Healthy Connections because we’re saying, ‘Who needs help?’ and ‘How can I get help to them?’ The other questions can be asked later, if at all.”
Porter is also comfortable speaking Spanish, which he said can be helpful for those parents and children whose primary language is not English. He learned Spanish while in college and has used it on trips to Mexico and South America as part of mission work. It was on one of those missions that he decided he wanted to be a pediatrician.
“My wife and I were on a medical mission in Kenya and I saw lots of sick kids. I thought I could do medicine anywhere in the world and make a difference anywhere I go,” he said.
Porter brings a fun approach to his job and the clinic is decorated with characters from children’s television including Paw Patrol, Disney princesses, and the Cars movies.
“I’m a parent too. When I go home I’m changing diapers and fixing bikes and skateboards. I know what it’s like to be on the front lines of parenting and you don’t always have time to wait for next week to get a question answered. I like to tell folks, ‘Look, call up any time’,” Porter said.
Healthy Connections accepts most forms of medical insurance, including Medicaid and Medicare. However, no person will be turned away for lack of insurance. Qualified families will be charged according to their total family income. Enrollment assistance is also available for Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. Walk-ins are also welcome without an appointment, though your insurance company may require that you change your provider.
“At Healthy Connections, we don’t turn folks away. If you’ve got a sick kid today and don’t want to wait until tomorrow, bring them on in. We’ll make it happen and figure out what we need to do to get your kid taken care of,” Porter said.
Healthy Connections Pediatrics provides a full range of medical services for children at the clinic, which is open from 7:45 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Call 501.463.4233 for an appointment or just walk in for fast, convenient care when you need it.
Healthy Connections, Inc., was founded in 1998 as a home visiting program and now operates nine clinics throughout Southwest Arkansas. Depending on location, services include primary and preventative medical care, general dentistry, radiology, cardiology and behavioral health services. Learn more at www.healthy-connections.org.