Before 2022, Jessica Beare had never set foot in a hospital apart from the time she gave birth in one.
Fortunately, the active osteopath from Golden Beach on the Sunshine Coast had always enjoyed good health. Whether it was swimming, riding her bike, or walking to the playground with her beautiful daughter, exercise was a given. Every day.
Early last year, Jessica developed an unassuming abscess on her leg due to an inflammatory condition. Little did she know, she was about to become very familiar with hospital wards and emergency rooms in the area.
Over the next 12 months, Jessica would undergo two surgeries on her leg. Each time, the wound needed to be checked regularly afterwards.
“Last year I went to the public hospital ED five or six times,” Jessica said.
“Even though they did the best they could, it felt very busy. I sometimes wondered if I was even going to get seen.”
It was before a much-anticipated trip to Melbourne that Jessica experienced Care 24-7’s brand of ‘and more’ emergency care. She couldn’t get in to see her GP, so went to Buderim Emergency Centre to have her wound checked before she travelled.
The calm environment there was both unexpected and readily welcomed.
“For someone who doesn’t like hospitals – at all – it was a big thing for me to experience that feeling of relief,” Jessica said. “There was only one other person waiting, an elderly gentleman reading a book. I thought to myself: ‘I’m actually going to get what I need here’.”
In all, Jessica was cared for by the Buderim team three times as her leg recovered. She describes her experience there as “always absolutely amazing”.
“When you go into an ED, you’re not usually going there for fun,” she said. “Even for someone to ask if I’d like a bottle of water – this showed me they cared. They wanted to make sure I was hydrated and comfortable.
“At Buderim they had a bit more time. I would rather go there to get the care you need and to feel you’re being well looked after.”
Jessica made it to Melbourne. Her leg held up for the holiday and, now, rarely gives her any trouble.
She knows where to go if it does though.
Based on her own experiences, Jessica now suggests her own family and friends head to Buderim Emergency Centre should they need emergency care.
“Time is worth money, so if you can get it over and done with within a couple of hours, it’s totally worth it,” Jessica said. “Your health is always worth it.”