Enhances Healthcare Accessibility with Expanded Services in Central New York
In a healthcare landscape teeming with both challenges and opportunities, Drakos Dynamics has emerged as a pivotal player in Central New York, with successful healthcare services like a dedicated pediatric urgent care in Liverpool (Clay Medical Center). Drakos Pediatric Urgent Care opened in May as a unique option to help address the shortage of accessible pediatric healthcare in Central New York.
The company is now furthering its commitment to the region with ambitious plans that are not only expansive but also strategically focused. The company will be opening Drakos Urgent Care in Cicero with an expanded portfolio that will provide comprehensive care for the entire community, including adults, as part of Drakos’ mission to continue addressing gaps in healthcare, one of those most critical being increasing access to high quality care. These services include urgent care services, a full vaccination program, X-rays, ADHD screenings, weight loss and metabolic health management, a comprehensive lab onsite, full respiratory panels, sexual health, and more.
“Since opening Drakos Pediatric Urgent Care in May, we’ve provided care for more than 1,000 patients,” says Drakos Founder and CEO Heather Drake Bianchi. “With the urgent care in Cicero, it’s not just about expanding our services, it’s about access. It’s about ensuring that we continue to fill crucial gaps in the healthcare system here in Central New York. This is a data-driven decision. We’ve reviewed the epidemiological trends and identified a need. It’s proactive healthcare delivery, aligned with regional demands, to help address current and future shortages.”
As many local urgent cares are closing temporarily or shutting permanently, Drake Bianchi is passionate about the company’s responsibility to serve the community, especially as experts already see the start of another challenging respiratory season.
Drakos Pediatric Urgent Care observed an early uptick in both COVID-19 and strep infections, starting as early as the end of August – much earlier than normal. Local teachers shared that schools were grappling with significant numbers of students falling ill with COVID-19, strep throat, or influenza, even before October had arrived. This pattern immediately raised concerns about another potentially challenging respiratory season, impacting both kids and parents alike.
“We want to be a resource to truly anyone in our community in need of outstanding, convenient care, and to other healthcare facilities by helping ease the stress in emergency rooms and across the healthcare system at large,” says Drake Bianchi. “We’re here for the long haul to serve this community.”
Drakos has other major plans, too. The company’s ethos has always been to provide healthcare without walls— innovating to overcome barriers and bring quality healthcare to people when and where they need it. The company began in 2020 with its subsidiary, CineMedics, which focused on providing medical testing and services on medical sets.
Now Drakos is adapting what it learned with CineMedics and designing mobile care to reach underprivileged and remote areas, along with anywhere that suffers from access issues. According to the Urgent Care Association, 89 percent of the U.S. population can drive to an urgent care in 20 minutes or less, but only 15 percent of urgent cares are in urban areas and only 9 percent are in rural areas – a gap that contributes to healthcare
access challenges.
“Our origin story is rooted in mobile care. Mobile clinics are redefining healthcare accessibility,” says Drake Bianchi. “That matters in a community that has one of the highest rates of segregated poverty in the country and underserved immigrant communities and is surrounded by rural areas where regional hospitals have closed at alarming rates. The entire Drakos team is incredibly motivated to use our skills to serve people in our community who struggle to access healthcare.”
Despite being one of the most technologically advanced and affluent nations globally, the United States falls short in terms of healthcare access both locally and nationally. That’s why Drakos is also committed to using mobile healthcare, as well as the physical locations in Cicero and Liverpool, to address these healthcare disparities.
Data from the New York State Department of Health 2021 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Health Indicators by County and Region reveal that 1 in 10 Central New Yorkers don’t have a regular health care provider, 1 in 7 struggles with mental health more than 14 days per month, and 1 in 10 report overall poor physical health. Additionally, of those who do have a primary care provider, nearly 25 percent don’t see their doctor for a checkup each year.
“If we really want to improve our fellow citizens and neighbors, everyone needs regular care for their physical and mental health,” says Drake Bianchi. “We understand that mobility issues, geographic hurdles, and other challenges can hinder timely and appropriate access to healthcare services for everyone. One of our lessons from working in Hollywood is that a lack of time can be a major healthcare access issue for everyone. Although their access to wealth and specialized care obviously differs greatly, one thing a parent working two jobs struggling to make a living and a movie star working on set for 16 hours per day often have in common is the feeling that they just don’t have time to see a doctor. We look at all the factors impacting healthcare access and think, ‘where can our skills help?’”
As Drakos works toward its goal of becoming a long lasting part of the region’s healthcare infrastructure, the team is working with local nonprofits and businesses to create new alliances that will increase healthcare for all.
“All of our plans focus on innovative solutions that incorporate a network of physical brick and mortar locations, mobile, and virtual care. We aim to set a precedent for agile, effective healthcare delivery,” states Drake Bianchi. “At our core, the Drakos team is passionate about bringing together data, science, and action to drive decisions and create a more accessible, convenient healthcare network in Central New York, so everyone can receive high quality healthcare when they need it.”
For healthcare leaders seeking to understand the future contours of healthcare in Central New York, Drakos serves as a case study in thoughtful expansion and effective communication. By strategically widening their services and using innovative technologies and approaches, they are not just serving the community —they are actively helping to shape it. Their data driven, communityfocused approach promises to make them a lasting fixture in Central New York’s healthcare.
For more information, please see www. drakosdynamics.com