Heart of Oklahoma residents have access to another health clinic with the opening of Hometown Clinic in downtown Purcell.

Purcell residents April States and Wendy Wilbur-Cano, both nurse practitioners, officially opened the clinic March 16 where they have regular office hours at 218 W. Main Monday-Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. They are open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.

And, the two nurses report, walk-ins are welcome.

The clinic is also open through the lunch hour.

One of the biggest challenges for the pair is dealing with insurance.

“It’s a challenge to get a patient taken care of and making sure the insurance is going to pay for the lab, a procedure and a prescription,” Wilbur-Cano said.

Hometown Clinic takes all forms of payment including credit and debit cards, cash and accepts all forms of insurance with the exception of SoonerCare, which they are currently working on to acquire.

“We like taking care of the rural community,” States said.

Prior to becoming nurse practitioners, both States and Wilbur-Cano have 48 years of combined home health care experience under their belts, which is what drives their compassion for rural towns like Purcell.

“For a lot of these rural residents home health is the arm that allows them to have medical care,” States said. Wilbur-Cano said, “Getting the older patients out to see a doctor or to a hospital can be an hour drive or more.”

States earned her degree in journalism from The University of Oklahoma but changed course after a time in the journalism field.

“I decided to switch careers,” she said. “Journalism was a dog eat dog world so I decided to go to nursing school.”

She studied both at OU and at Maryville University in St. Louis, MO.

Both Hometown Clinic women have their master’s degree in nursing.

Outside of obstetrics and surgery, Hometown Clinic can provide any and all primary care or be a source for urgent care services.