ATLANTA , Georgia ( CNN ) -- Stephen Plumlee started feeling dizzy and nauseated shortly after his flight from Sarasota , Florida , landed in Atlanta , Georgia . He was wheeled off the plane by paramedics , but instead of being taken to a hospital emergency room downtown , he was treated in the atrium of the busiest airport in the world . The AeroClinic joins a growing field of easy-access medical facilities found in pharmacies and retail outlets . The AeroClinic , a new retail medical facility , offers quick , inexpensive care to travelers and some of the airport 's 55,000 employees . `` We 're kind of the stop in between the hospital during your travels , '' said Dr. Dominic Mack , chief medical officer for the clinic . The AeroClinic joins a growing field of easy-access medical facilities found in pharmacies and retail outlets around the country . You could say it falls somewhere between the newer , small clinics and the larger full-service after-hours clinics that have been around for many years . For about $ 80 , a patient can be treated by a doctor or physician assistant for a minor acute illness such as strep throat , upset stomach or headache . That was the reason behind Derrick Gross ' visit . The medical sales representative lives in Atlanta , but travels at least three days a week . He says he 's too busy to see a regular doctor , and when he saw the sign while passing through the airport , he decided to make an appointment . Gross spent about 20 minutes with physician assistant Sabrina Jackson going through a battery of tests to try to determine the source of his headaches . Health Minute : Airport clinic gives travelers a health-care alternative » . He received a supply of ibuprofen when the tests revealed no obvious medical problems . `` I took a chance by coming here today and I 'm satisfied , '' Gross said . He agreed to follow up with his primary care physician . Mack said he treats a lot of patients like Gross . `` You have 250,000 passengers who come through Atlanta Hartsfield every day , and people are sick . What they do is delay their care or they do n't get their care at all . '' Dr. David Satcher , former U.S. surgeon general and frequent flier , sees the need first hand . `` I 've traveled almost 40,000 miles in the last month and I know there are a lot of people who spend time in airports and a lot of people do n't get the care they need , '' he said . As a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians , Satcher believes the concept of a quick-care health facility inside an airport is a good one so long as patients continue to have contact with a primary care physician at home . He serves on the board of directors for The AeroClinic and is one of the privately held company 's original investors . He wants potential patients to understand the restrictions of a facility such as The AeroClinic . `` This is not the place to go when you 're having chest pains . ... ( But ) obviously , if you have a minor illness this is an opportunity to seek care while you 're traveling and not have to wait until you get back home . '' The clinic 's 12 staffers also offer preventive care including physical exams , routine vaccinations and monitoring of chronic diseases . The facility accepts some insurance coverage . In the fall , The AeroClinic , will open a second facility in the Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , airport . The staff plans to offer flu shots at mobile kiosks in the airport concourses . For now , travelers must go out of the airport security zone to reach the facility . Stephen Plumlee did n't mind the inconvenience . `` I was so out of it , I did n't know what was happening . But everyone has been very helpful . '' After he rested for a couple of hours and recovered from the nausea , an imbalance in his inner ear was diagnosed . He was given medication to help him cope with the flight home and sent on his way . `` This has been good , '' concluded Plumlee . `` It 's been fine to be able to do it in the airport , not have to go to some other part of the city and find my way back . '' E-mail to a friend . Judy Fortin is a correspondent with CNN Medical News .
New retail medical facility offers care to Atlanta airport travelers , employees . Score: 6 Physical exams , vaccinations , monitoring of chronic diseases also offered .