June 3, 2009                           
Advantage Urgent Care
Glendale & Surprise, Arizona
602-530-6189

Advantage Urgent Care™ Receives 2009 IMPACT Award for Response to Adversity
Owner Karen Watts-Edwards Faced Difficult Decisions after a Devastating Injury

Glendale, Arizona.  Karen Watts-Edwards had dreamed to be co-owner with husband Bill of the best urgent care in the Phoenix metropolitan area. But in that dream, her role was as Physicians Assistant, not as head of the business. Then real life intervened and Karen was left with difficult personal and business decisions.

Bill Edwards has been a business innovator at Advantage Urgent Care since he and wife Karen purchased the business in 2003. Bill pioneered Advantage Web Check-in™, allowing patients to check-in from home or work. He developed techniques for more effective use of doctors in urgent care, and he converted paper charts to electronic medical records well ahead of the industry. Then an injury changed everything.

Bill suffered brain damage in 2006 as a complication of routine surgery, and he was no longer able to lead the business. After the full extent of the injury became clear, Karen had important decisions to make.

“Bill was the genius behind our business, and I wasn’t sure we could go on without him,” said Karen, who in addition to being Bill’s wife is a Physicians Assistant at Advantage Urgent Care. Karen had always enjoyed working on the medical side while Bill led the business side.

“Karen had a unique opportunity to tap into her hidden abilities as a business leader,” said Otto Siegel, Founder of Genius Coaching. Otto worked with Karen as she decided whether to take over as President. “Stepping out of her comfort zone required a whole new set of skills to discover in herself and apply immediately. Karen successfully developed her own effective style to lead Advantage Urgent Care through the crisis at an even higher level of success.”

“In the beginning Karen was on a steep learning curve,” said John Cosgrove, Principal/Owner of Renaissance Executive Forums, a group that provides business owners with knowledge and support to increase their success. “Karen is a quick study. With the knowledge of our group she grew more confident and effective in leading Advantage Urgent Care.”

With the help of her trusted advisors Otto Siegel and the team at Renaissance, Karen decided to take over the business, and she successfully leads it today.

“To make the decision to take the reins was the biggest decision of my life,” Karen explained. “I had good offers to buy me out, but my heart told me ‘keep going’, and ‘you could do this’. It really helped that the team at Advantage Urgent Care just stepped up.”

Today after two years of steady patient growth, Advantage Urgent Care has survived and thrived. Karen stepped into her new role as President and has steered her team to success. That culminated in May with Advantage Urgent Care being awarded the 2009 IMPACT Award for Response to Adversity.

“Owning this practice was a dream come true for us,” Karen said. “My inspiration has been to carry on that dream.”

About Advantage Urgent Care

Sick, hurt and injured adults and children in Glendale, Surprise and the western half of the Valley of the Sun visit Advantage Urgent Care for affordable and convenient medical treatment. Patients walk in or register using Advantage Web Check-in to be seen promptly and professionally by board-certified and board-eligible medical doctors and team of highly-trained medical professionals.

The medical process innovations by Advantage Urgent Care cause some patients to drive 10, 15, 20 or more miles past other medical facilities to experience our care and convenience. Call 602-530-6189 or visit www.advantageurgentcare.com. Walk in for amazing care.™

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