Mercy Urgent Care is proud to announce its newest location in Boone, opening in 2025 in the Watauga Village Shopping Center off Blowing Rock Road. Once open, this clinic will provide patients in Watauga County with access to walk-in care at a fraction of the time and cost of an ER visit.
Headquartered in Asheville, Mercy Urgent Care is Western North Carolina’s only independent, nonprofit urgent care, offering high-quality, affordable and convenient medical care for non-life-threatening illnesses and injuries. Currently, its network includes eight locations across five counties. The Boone clinic will be its ninth facility — and its first expansion into Watauga County.
“With more than 120 years of history in Western North Carolina, Mercy’s mission has always centered around providing compassionate, affordable care to underserved communities,” said Rachel Sossoman, President and CEO of Mercy Urgent Care. “When looking to broaden our reach, we sought out areas where the need was greatest for a bridge between primary and emergency care. We’re thrilled to soon join the Boone community and do our part to eliminate barriers to care so people can get the help they need, when they need it.”
As an independent provider, Mercy Urgent Care accepts Blue Cross Blue Shield and all other major insurance carriers; offers a self-pay option for those without insurance, with tiered “fee for service” pricing; and has a Compassionate Care financial assistance program for qualifying patients. Since 2021, Mercy has also offered comprehensive healthcare packages through its MercyMe membership program, where patients have access to a full menu of services — including annual wellness checks, yearly flu shots and urgent care services like x-rays, wound care and lab testing — starting at $29 per month for individuals and $59 per month for families of four. (A full list of this program’s benefits can be found at mercyurgentcare.org/mercyme.) A committed community partner in the areas it serves, Mercy is a certified living wage employer.
In addition to services for individuals and families, Mercy Urgent Care Boone will offer workplace-related health care services through its Mercy Occupational Medicine division. Employers in or near Watauga County can take advantage of a wide array of services, from workplace screening and testing to workplace incident management. Mercy Occupational Medicine offers board-certified physicians and licensed, highly trained personnel to meet the needs of businesses and their employees.
“On a personal note, Boone has a special place in my heart,” Sossoman added. “My family is from Watauga County, and I am a proud alumnus of Appalachian State University. In many ways, this opportunity feels like a homecoming. I cannot wait to be able to serve the wonderful people who are like family to me.”
Mercy Urgent Care was founded in Asheville in 1985 as a sponsored ministry of the Sisters of Mercy, an international institute of Roman Catholic women founded in 1831 in Dublin, Ireland. Committed to sacredness of life, human dignity, mercy, justice, service and excellence, Mercy Urgent Care believes everyone should have access to convenient, affordable and high-quality healthcare. The Sisters of Mercy have served WNC since 1900, operating the former St. Joseph’s Hospital for nearly 100 years before its sale to Mission in 1998.
Mercy Urgent Care is Western North Carolina’s only local, independent, nonprofit urgent care network, operating three locations in Asheville and one each in Brevard, Burnsville, Columbus, Waynesville, Weaverville — and, in 2025, Boone. With more than 120 years of history in the region, Mercy provides high-quality, affordable and convenient medical care for non-life-threatening illnesses and injuries, including cuts, strains and sprains, broken bones, ear infections, sinus pain, flu, mild allergies, digestive issues, animal bites and minor burns. Mercy’s commitment to compassionate care for all is made possible through generous donations to the Catherine McAuley Mercy Foundation, which enables the nonprofit to offer tiered self-pay pricing to those without insurance and charity care to those who qualify. To further reduce the cost of medical care for patients, Mercy now offers comprehensive healthcare packages for families and individuals through its monthly MercyMe memberships. More information about the organization, its MercyMe memberships and a list of locations can be found at mercyurgentcare.org.
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