St. Louis, Missouri, physician Sonny Saggar, MD founded Downtown Urgent Care in March 2009, and he serves as the Medical Director and CEO of the practice. A strong believer in the importance of preventative medicine, Dr. Sonny Saggar encourages everyone to get a regular flu shot, and he strives to dispel common misunderstandings about the vaccination process. A healthy diet and regular exercise and a positive attitude to life and others, are the cornerstones of good health, he professes.

Sonny Saggar maintains that the flu shot is not a luxury procedure and that it is covered in full by most insurance plans. Unfortunately, many patients do not realize that their flu shots are covered and end up paying out of pocket at private vaccination centers. Dr. Sonny Saggar’s practice assists patients in claiming their flu shots, and, for those without insurance, Downtown Urgent Care provides the vaccine at the lowest possible price, often more than 20% less than many places. In fact, many of the clinic’s services are offered at cost. Dr. Sonny Saggar’s clinic provided 36,000 flu vaccinations in 2009, its first year of business, including many catch-up shots for individuals who were away during the regular vaccination period.

In order to maximize the efficacy of the flu shot, Dr. Sonny Saggar emphasizes the importance of regularity and timing. As it takes the shot two weeks to produce the desired antibodies in a patient’s system, Dr. Sonny Saggar believes the ideal time to get the vaccination is in the autumn, before the beginning of flu season. Additionally, the shot must be administered yearly because the flu virus changes continually.

A passionate advocate of the St. Louis revitalization efforts, Dr. Sonny Saggar designed Downtown Urgent Care to meet the needs for an acute care facility in the downtown area. Dr. Sonny Saggar’s practice is currently the only urgent care center in that portion of St. Louis, and he has experienced high demand for his services since the practice opened in March of 2009.

Dr. Sonny Saggar works alongside four other physicians at Downtown Urgent Care, providing acute, preventative, and internal medical services. Having grown up in the United Kingdom, Dr. Sonny Saggar completed his medical training in Oxford and London before immigrating to the United States in 1997. He has been practicing medicine for over 15 years.