New urgent care puts patients first

By STU CLAMPITT
news@readthereporter.com

Monarch Medicine, 90 Executive Drive, Carmel, is a new urgent care clinic opening its doors on May 4. Co-Founders Dr. Lisa Clay and Todd Clay are opening their new medical facility with a toy drive benefiting Riley Hospital for Children.

The Reporter spoke to the Clays about their vision for Monarch Medicine and about the toy drive for Riley.

Todd Clay

Lisa Clay

Todd told The Reporter that Monarch is founded on the principle of providing prompt, compassionate medical care and aims to serve the community with both healthcare excellence and a commitment to local engagement.

“Monarch Medicine is founded on the belief that urgent care should be accessible, swift, and patient-focused,” Todd said. “Dr. Lisa Clay, Co-Founder and lead physician, combines advanced medical technology with a personalized approach to healthcare, ensuring that each patient is treated with the utmost care and respect. Our services cater to a wide range of urgent health needs, from minor injuries to routine physicals, all provided with the goal of enhancing patient well-being and community health.”

Lisa Clay has been a family practice doctor for nearly 15 years, mostly working in urgent care and hospital emergency rooms.

“I am really looking for the opportunity to practice medicine the way that I want to be treated as a person,” Lisa said. “When you work for a system you’re held to their rules and their direction. Those choices aren’t always yours. I really am looking forward to the opportunity to make choices for myself to take good care of people – to do medicine the way that I think it should be done.”

She told The Reporter she wants to spend time with people in ways that corporate medicine does not allow.

“I want to offer an opportunity to feel appreciated as a patient,” Lisa said. “To feel better when you come to see the doctor – to feel better that day, and know that you know your prescription is at the pharmacy and you have a follow-up appointment. All of these pieces that are kind of getting lost in the business of medicine. I really want to bring that personal touch back and try to put money and business on a back burner and just take care of people. I think when you do that, everything else is going to follow.”

Their grand opening will be more than just an introduction to their services; they are also hosting a toy drive to benefit Riley Hospital for Children. This event is designed to gather support for the hospital and provide joy to children undergoing treatment.

“We both are in healthcare, and we wanted to get back to the community, and I thought, ‘What better way to give back to the community than a toy drive?’” Todd said. “So I asked Lisa and she loved the idea. Then I got Riley’s permission to use their logo, got their wish list, and then started hearing what the toys are for. I was at my desk reading it and I started crying because these kids are in a bed and the toys are meant to be played within a bed – like cars and crayons  –  and then I looked out and I saw my daughter playing in a swing and I thought, ‘What a contrast.’ The toy drive led to this grand opening idea of a birthday party, not in memory, but in spirit of the Riley kids. What better way to start a business than trying to give back to kids who need to be remembered and noticed and put in the forefront of our minds?”

Join Monarch Medicine, 90 Executive Drive, Carmel, on May 4 to celebrate the launch and contribute to this noble cause. Learn more online at monarchmedicine.org.

Monarch Medicine will be open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday and Sunday.