A new medical service offers the opportunity for people with cuts, strains and other non-life-threatening conditions to receive treatment without waiting for an appointment.

    Dr. Harold Spangler said he wanted to start Doc In A Box Walk+In Medical Care when he noticed a lot of people visiting emergency rooms who easily could have received care from a walk-in clinic.

    A Dover native, Spangler completed his residency in emergency medicine and worked in emergency rooms in hospitals in Winston-Salem, N.C., before returning to the area to open the business.

    “I realized that so many people need care but don’t have access to a medical facility,” Spangler said. “The business is designed for people that can’t get in to see a doctor right away but need some kind of care.”

    This includes patients visiting from out of town, people who recently moved to the area and those who don’t have a primary care physician, Spangler said.

    In addition to treatment for broken bones, back pain and earaches, Doc In A Box has an on-site X-ray machine and provides free, walk-in screenings for blood pressure and diabetes, as well as height and weight measurements that are used to calculate a person’s body mass index and determine if the patient is overweight.

    “If someone doesn’t have a primary care physician, we can help them find one,” Spangler said. “Or they could just take a copy of this information with them to their doctor.”

    Doc In a Box opened July 1 at its locations at the Camden Commons Shopping Center near the Super Wal-Mart and the Gateway West Complex at 1020 Forrest Ave.

    Both offices are open from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

    They accept all major insurance providers, including Medicare, Medicaid and Tricare.

    For more information, visit www.docinabox.de.com or call their Camden office at 698-4441 or their Dover office at 730-1110.

     Email Elaine Hughes at elaine.hughes@doverpost.com