West Side residents have a new walk-in option for non-life-threatening illnesses and injuries: University Hospitals has opened a clinic at 20914 Center Ridge Road in Rocky River. The site serves Rocky River, Westlake, Fairview Park, Bay Village and Lakewood, and brings UH's Northeast Ohio urgent care network to 26 locations.
Services at the clinic include rapid testing and treatment for flu, COVID-19, RSV and strep, as WKYC reports. The center also provides lab services, EKGs, physical exams, vaccinations, on-site X-rays, laceration repair and medication dispensing. Cleveland19 also reported the clinic's rapid testing and treatment services.
Patients may walk in or reserve a spot online. The clinic is open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. That schedule is also in place at other recently opened UH sites, including the Parma Ridge Road location at 6836 Ridge Road, according to cleveland.com's report on its debut for the 2025 virus season.
A More Affordable Alternative to the ER
University Hospitals Chief Operating Officer Paul Hinchey described urgent care as a “more affordable alternative” to emergency departments for people without a primary care physician who need prompt attention for non-life-threatening concerns. Cleveland19's coverage of the Rocky River opening also noted that affordability rationale.
Hinchey said additional urgent care sites may help ease pressure on emergency departments and reduce waits, leaving emergency teams to focus on critical cases. The Rocky River clinic uses MyChart, powered by Epic, to share visit information with patients' UH physicians and support follow-up care.
Part of a Broader Buildout Across Northeast Ohio
UH has added urgent care sites in several Northeast Ohio communities in recent years. In 2024, it opened a Snow Road location in Parma and, on July 29, UH Urgent Care Cleveland-Edgewater at 1407 W. 117th Street, according to a University Hospitals news release. The release says UH Urgent Care operates as part of a joint venture with WellStreet Urgent Care.
More recently, UH Urgent Care North Ridgeville opened in August at 34548 Center Ridge Road, joining what was then a network of 24 urgent care clinics managed in partnership between University Hospitals and WellStreet Urgent Care, per the announcement from University Hospitals. That same release said the expansion would bring hundreds more healthcare jobs to the Northeast Ohio market, and University Hospitals is hiring physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and other medical professionals to staff the growing network.
University Hospitals also opened a second Parma location on October 28, 2025, its Parma Ridge Road clinic, bringing that suburb to two UH urgent care sites. A 2025 report from cleveland.com said University Hospitals expected to have 36 urgent care centers across northern Ohio by 2026, though whether that target has been reached isn't established by the current reporting on the Rocky River clinic's 26-location count.
Network growth and levels of care
The network's count has changed as new sites opened: University Hospitals reported that the Cleveland Heights–The Ascent clinic, at 12301 Cedar Road, opened Sept. 30, 2024, bringing the Northeast Ohio network to 25 locations at that time, according to its announcement. That offers a snapshot of the network's growth before the Rocky River opening. For life-threatening conditions, UH identifies emergency care as a separate level of service: its St. John Medical Center emergency room in Westlake is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, according to University Hospitals. The Rocky River clinic is intended for non-life-threatening illnesses and injuries.
