AFFORDABLE, ACCESSIBLE HEALTHCARE
Our Emediate Cure Family
A TEAM OF BOARD-CERTIFIED HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
Amy Vertin MSN, FPA, APRN, FNP-C
I have an extensive background in Emergency Nursing with nearly nine years of experience in a busy level 2 ER. I became a Family Nurse Practitioner in 2013, graduating with honors from University of St. Francis with my MSN. I have since worked in the urgent care setting treating patients of all ages with a wide variety of illnesses and injuries. I’m a DOT certified medical examiner and X-ray certified limited license technician. I love that each patient I see is different, and my days are never boring or routine. I learn something new every day and continue to grow as a provider. For fun, I like to spend time with my husband and three children. We love boating, water skiing and cheering on the Chicago Cubs!
April Kubinski MSN, FPA, APRN, FNP-BC
I grew up in Joliet and graduated from the University of St. Francis with my Bachelor’s degree in nursing. After working for about 10 years in the Emergency Department as a trauma nurse at local hospitals, I realized the need for urgent care centers in our area. I went back to USF and graduated with my Nurse Practitioner degree in 2013. After becoming board-certified, I decided that urgent care was right for me. I love the variety and love meeting new people every day. I strive to listen to my patients closely and always spend time educating my patients and their family members about their illness and how they can improve their health. Most importantly, I love caring for my own community. I enjoy being involved and helping to be that change for our world. I am currently involved in my state organization as a Region Chair member. I am active with my church family and love doing mission trips when possible. I am active with local community events and have a passion for the Big Brother Big Sisters organization. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family, love caring for animals, traveling (especially warm places), hiking and taking in nature.
Jennifer Mele MSN, FPA, APRN, FNP-C
I began my nursing career in 1996 after graduating from Central Texas College in Killeen, Texas. I worked in both the Operating Room and Labor & Delivery before returning back to the Chicagoland area, where I was born and raised, and began working at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, IL in 2000. In 2003, I enrolled at NIU to obtain my BSN, while still working in L&D at Christ and also became part of their High Risk Maternal Transport Team. In 2010, with three young daughters, I decided it was a perfect time to go back to NIU to obtain my Master’s Degree as a Family Nurse Practitioner. I graduated in 2014 and could not love my decision anymore. Having the privilege to practice as a Nurse Practitioner in Family Medicine, Geriatrics, Medicare Wellness, and now urgent care has given me so many amazing opportunities. I have truly loved each experience, but urgent care is by far my favorite. I love working in and supporting my community by providing them with high-quality healthcare. It is an honor to be part of Emediate Cure, a Nurse Practitioner-owned and operated family clinic within my community. When I am not busy in the clinic, I love cheering on the Cubs, the Bears & the Blackhawks, and spending time with my husband of 25 years, our three daughters, and two Weimaraners!
Betty Pratt MSN, APRN, FNP-BC
I graduated from Lewis University in Romeoville, IL in 2003 with my Bachelor’s in Nursing. I began my nursing career working in the PICU and Neurology floor at Children’s Memorial (now Lurie Children’s). After about a year and a half of driving out to the city my husband and I decided to move out of the south suburbs to Plainfield. I then started working at Edward hospital in Naperville in their pediatric emergency room. After a few years I floated out to the main side of the emergency room and discovered I liked caring for adults as well. Although I loved working in the emergency room it was time to continue my education. I returned to Lewis University to earn my Master’s in Nursing and graduated in 2014. As a Family Nurse Practitioner, I started working at a large primary pediatric practice. One of my favorite parts of that job was working with refugee children that were new to this country. I was able to identify gaps in their care and get them to the specialists they needed. I have also worked in pediatric urgent care and retail health as a nurse practitioner. One thing I love about urgent care is I never know what is going to walk through the door. It brings me back to my ER roots. I also love to educate my patients about their illness and treatment, so they have the tools to feel better quickly. I really enjoy working with this community and I can’t wait to take great care of you and your family. I have been married to the love of my life for 19 years and we have 2 kids that keep us on our toes. We also have 2 cats and 2 very hairy dogs so when I am not at work I am probably vacuuming. I also love to read and travel.
Tara McMillan MSN, FPA, APRN, FNP-C
I began my nursing career in 2001, graduating with my Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from the University of St. Francis. I spent my entire nursing career in pediatrics both in local, community hospital pediatric units as well as at Lurie Children’s Hospital as part of the resource team which included all pediatric units as well as the pediatric, neonatal and cardiac ICUs. I graduated with my Master of Science in Nursing Degree from Chamberlain College of Nursing and became certified as a family nurse practitioner in 2015. Since becoming a nurse practitioner, I have worked in urgent care and occupational health. I am an FMCSA certified medical examiner and also a limited license X-ray technician. Urgent care allows me to take care of a wide variety of patients and I love that flexibility of not knowing exactly what each day will bring. Of course I do always hold a special place in my heart for pediatric patients and love seeing kids in the clinic. I joined the Emediate Cure team in November 2020 and love being a part of a Nurse Practitioner owned/family owned business and being able to take care of the people of the community in which I live.
Rachel Carlson MSN, FNP-BC, FPA-APRN, ACSM-CPT®, CSOWM
I am a Full Practice Authority board certified Family Nurse Practitioner with more than 25 years of nursing experience spanning inpatient critical care, in the adult intensive care unit, family practice at a federally qualified health center, internal medicine and geriatric long term care at a private practice, and most recently adding urgent care to my resume by joining the EmediateCure team in January 2022. I completed my bachelors in nursing at Illinois Wesleyan University (Bloomington, IL), my masters in nursing administration at Lewis University (Romeoville, IL) and my post-masters Family Nurse Practitioner certification at Northern Illinois University (DeKalb, IL). In addition, I am a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) certified medical examiner, a Certified Personal Trainer through the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), and a certified Interdisciplinary specialist in Obesity and Weight Management. I have also developed and taught classes and guest lectured in the master’s of nursing program at Lewis University.
I am honored and excited to have joined the team of Nurse Practitioners at EmediateCure. For the whole of my career, I have longed for a group of Nurse Practitioner colleagues who work together and support each other. At EmediateCure I have found that, as well as an opportunity to care for a variety of patients on any given day. Working at EmediateCure allows me to use my experience and education to it’s fullest, and I strive to provide excellent care to each and every person who walks through our doors.
Megan Price MSN, APRN
I graduated from St Ambrose University in 2015 with my Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree and began my nursing career in a very busy level 2 trauma center/ER. After 4 years my husband and I decided to move back to the Chicagoland area where I worked at Palos Hospital in the ER for 2.5 years while obtaining my Master’s degree in Nursing as a Family Nurse Practitioner from Clarkson College. I started my career as a Nurse Practitioner at Emediate Cure a little over a year ago. I have always had a passion for the chaotic and fast paced environment of the ER and I have loved the transition from working in the ER to urgent care. I love working for a family owned company that truly cares about delivering excellent patient care. I enjoy seeing various conditions of all ages and the variety that comes with working in urgent care. I have two busy children and two dogs. I spend a lot of my free time outdoors with my kids, we love to go on walks and check out new parks.
Danielle Larsen MSN, APRN
My nursing career began after graduating with my Bachelors of Science in Nursing from the University of Saint Francis in Joliet, IL in 2015. I worked on the trauma unit at Christ Medical Center, a busy, level 1 trauma hospital. I then transferred to the mother-baby unit at Rush Copley Medical Center where I was responsible for the care of new moms, their newborns, surgical patients, and eventually trained to care for NICU patients. While working at RCMC, I furthered my education and obtained my Masters of Science in Nursing with a focus on family practice from my alma mater, University of Saint Francis, graduating in 2021. From there, I was fortunate to begin my career as an advanced practice registered nurse at Emediate Cure. I love the challenge urgent care brings, never knowing what to expect out of each day, each patient. But by far, my favorite part of working at Emediate Cure is being able to provide care for the very community I live in. I was raised in a neighboring town of Joliet and now live in Shorewood, so I am truly providing care for my community. That brings me a great deal of pride and drives me to always provide the best care I possibly can.
Ebony Jones MSN, APRN
I have been a Family Nurse Practitioner for four years now. I graduated with my Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing from Saint Xavier University in 2010. Most of my career has been in the med-surge department/stroke unit and I have an extensive background in both community and mental health. After working for a few years as an RN, I decided I wanted to do more for the community from the public health side, so I got my Master’s in Public Health from Kaplan University in 2013. Being in the community and seeing the impact nurse practitioners had on the patients, I knew I needed to go back to school so I can have the same impact on the community. I obtained my Doctorate in Nursing Practice from Rush University in 2019. Since being a nurse practitioner, I have worked in a retail clinic and now urgent care. I started with the Emediate Cure team in July 2022 and I love the variety of patients we see on a day-to-day basis, as well as, being able to make a significant difference in the lives of every patient we treat. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family, traveling, and cooking.
James George MSN, APRN
I am a board-certified Nurse Practitioner with 11 years of healthcare experience primarily in critical care in the hospital setting. I started my career after graduating from Waubonsee Community College in 2012 at Rush Copley Medical Center in critical care. My manager saw my potential and I became a charge nurse within 18 months. I went back to school and got my bachelor’s in nursing at Northern Illinois University and graduated in 2014. In 2017 I got promoted to a full-time charge nurse, I became a code blue/Rapid Response team member. This experience was invaluable as I learned to think critically which helps me in my practice as a provider. In 2018 I attended University of St Francis to pursue my MSN with a focus on Nurse Practitioner. After graduating in 2021 I made the hard decision to leave my team after a decade and join the team at Emediate Cure. Although my background is in critical care, I was able to quickly transition into the urgent care setting with the help of my teammates. I love working in this setting having the opportunity to use my knowledge, skills and experience to our patient in the community we serve. I look forward each day working with my team and partnering with the patients to help them resolve their healthcare challenges with compassion.
Jillian Aleck MSN, APRN
I began my nursing career in 2016, graduating with my Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Utica College. I spent my entire nursing career in a Level 3 NICU and Christ Advocate Children’s Hospital in Oak Lawn, IL. I graduated with my Master of Science in Nursing with a specialty in Family Practice from Chamberlain College of nursing in 2021. After becoming a certified nurse practitioner, I have worked in both orthopedics and urgent care. While in orthopedics, I underwent a certification course to become an advanced practice surgical first assist. Urgent care, allows me to evaluate and treat a wide range of patients. I joined the Emediate Cure team in 2022 and love being apart of a group of nurse practitioners who are passionate about caring for our population of patients, as well as, being apart of a family owned clinic.
Cassie Matlage MSN, APRN
My nursing career started in 2012 after graduating from Chamberlain College of Nursing with my Bachelor of Science in Nursing. I have worked on a orthopedic/ medical-surgical floor for almost two years before transitioning to the emergency department where I worked for 8 years. I found my passion for nursing while working in the emergency department. I truly enjoyed caring for the variety of patients and the unpredictability of the day. I graduated with my Master of Science in Nursing from University of St. Francis in 2022. I joined the Emediate Cure family team in 2023 and enjoy caring for my community. Urgent care allows me to care for the variety of patients I love so much!
Emily Debacker MSN, APRN
I originally got my Bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Indiana University in Bloomington. I was working in an office job after college when a light bulb went off that I really wanted to become a nurse. Since then, I earned my Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Northern Illinois University and worked in a variety of settings as an RN including the Surgical ICU where I cared for open-heart patients, plastic surgery, and the recovery room at Edward Hospital. In the midst of the pandemic, I decided that I had more to offer the profession and returned to school to become a Family Nurse Practitioner. I graduated Summa Cum Laude with my Master of Science in Nursing from Olivet Nazarene University and became board certified as an FNP through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). I feel at home in urgent care as it marries my background in critical care with outpatient nursing. My care approach involves forming a partnership with you and your loved ones to ensure that I am meeting your healthcare needs. I am excited to be a part of the team at Emediate Cure and look forward to providing safe, quality care to you and your family!
Becky Sloan MSN, APRN
I obtained my nursing degree from the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith in 2009. My medical background includes cardiology, geriatrics and step down ICU. I graduated with my masters degree in nursing from Chamberlain University in 2022. I began working as a FNP in the urgent care setting in August of 2022. I love the variety of medical conditions that I get to treat as well as seeing patients across the lifespan of infant to geriatric. I recently joined the team at Emediate Cure and have found a company with leadership and staff who love serving their patients and working hard to give each and every patient the individualized care experience they deserve.
