New Aurora surgery center to treat workplace injuries

Hugo Flores thinks his doctor is just like Harry Potter.

Pain management specialist Dr. Andrew Engel not only has the wavy brown hair and glasses of the magical hero, he also cured Flores' neck and shoulder pain just like magic, the 51-year-old Chicago man said.

Engel works at the Ambulatory Surgical Care Facility, a new surgery center that opened this month at the Marque Medicos clinic, 1281 N. Farnsworth Ave., Aurora.

The surgery center focuses on treating people with workplace injuries and serves mainly Hispanic clients, said chief administrative officer Maria Elena Perez. It's located at the only Marque Medicos facility outside Chicago.

“We service primarily the Hispanic community and there's always a language barrier,” Perez said.

Engel said the facility offers a translator to every patient, even those who speak English.

“We find that even our patients who speak English, they might not understand the medical terms,” Engel said.

Translation services and a patient advocate, who can connect patients with community resources for housing assistance or other needs, are part of Marque Medicos' goal to help people understand the health care system.

“We take an advocate role where we help the patient through the whole process,” Perez said.

For Flores, the process began in late July when neck and shoulder pain from using a tape gun to seal hundreds of 40- to 45-pound boxes each day became unbearable.

He visited a Marque Medicos clinic in Chicago and was referred to the surgery center for injections of medication that Engel said can relieve and cure pain. Flores is awaiting his insurance company's approval to have shoulder surgery, he said through a translator.

Before opening the surgery center, Marque Medicos had to turn away patients like Flores who needed surgery for torn ligaments in shoulders, knees or other joints, Perez said.

“A great percentage of our patients do come in with severe (injuries) and they do need the care,” Perez said.

Jose de Jesus Velazquez, 41, of Chicago, sought treatment at Marque Medicos for a back injury that happened while he was lifting a heavy pan of English muffins at work. He said his company's doctor offered him ibuprofen for the injury, but the pills did nothing to take away his pain.

Velazquez said he has received therapy and two injections of pain medication from Engel.

“Before the shot, my pain was terrible,” Velazquez said. “After the first shot, it's like magic.”

Now, Velazquez said he considers Marque Medicos not his company's doctor his primary health care provider.

Engel said Marque Medicos and the surgery center treat patients for free, no matter if they have insurance. The clinic and surgery center also do not check patients' Social Security numbers or immigration status before offering treatment.

“People who wouldn't necessarily have access to care have access here,” Engel said. “We're looking for people who want to go back to work.”

In its first two weeks, the surgery center's five doctors performed 42 procedures. At full capacity, it could treat about one patient every half-hour, Perez said.