Winter 2025/6 Newsletter
Osteopathic Family Medicine — Winter 2025–2026 Newsletter
From the desk of Dr. Aaron Way
❄️ A warm hello for winter
Winter has arrived in Rhode Island, and with it comes a season that often keeps families indoors and germs circulating. At Osteopathic Family Medicine, LLC, our goal is to help you stay well, catch problems early, and get the care you need—whether that’s in the office or from the comfort of your home.
We’re happy to share winter updates, reminders about respiratory illness season, and a few ways we can work together to keep our whole community healthy.
🏥 Our second office is open and fully operational
Our second Wakefield location is now open and offering the full spectrum of primary care visits, just like our Cherry Lane office.
46 Holley Street, Wakefield, RI 02879
(Behind Ocean State Job Lot)What this means for you:
- Same providers and care philosophy
- Same phone number: 401-284-4555
- Same hours as our Cherry Lane office
- Full access to preventive visits, sick visits, chronic care, and care coordination
Both locations share the same medical records and patient portal, making scheduling and continuity of care seamless.
🤧 Cold, Flu, or COVID? How to tell the difference
Winter is peak season for respiratory illnesses, and symptoms can overlap.
Common symptoms at a glance
| Symptom | Common Cold | Flu | COVID-19 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fever | Rare or mild | Common, often high | Common |
| Body aches | Mild | Moderate–severe | Moderate |
| Fatigue | Mild | Severe | Moderate–severe |
| Cough | Common | Common | Common |
| Sore throat | Common | Sometimes | Sometimes |
| Sudden onset | No | Yes | Variable |
A helpful rule of thumb:
- Flu tends to come on suddenly and hits hard
- Colds usually start gradually and stay milder
- COVID-19 can look like either and varies widely
🧪 Same-day sick visits & in-office testing
We offer same-day sick visits whenever possible, with in-office testing for COVID-19, influenza, and strep throat. Early testing can help guide treatment decisions and, in some cases, allow us to start antiviral medications when appropriate.
Please call us promptly if you develop:
- Fever
- Worsening cough
- Shortness of breath
- Symptoms that are getting worse instead of better
💻 Telehealth: protecting our most vulnerable
Telehealth visits are available most days and are a great option if you:
- Have a positive home test for flu or COVID-19
- Are feeling too ill to travel
- Want to reduce exposure to others
Using telehealth helps:
- Protect immunocompromised patients, including those with diabetes, chronic lung disease, heart disease, or undergoing cancer treatment
- Protect our staff
- Keep our workforce strong so we can continue caring for the entire community
We’re happy to help you decide whether telehealth or an in-person visit is best for your situation.
🌟 Meet Julia Lawrence, APRN, FNP-C
We’re pleased to welcome Julia Lawrence, APRN, FNP-C to Osteopathic Family Medicine, LLC. Julia is a Rhode Island native and board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner who provides patient-centered, holistic care focused on the whole person—mind, body, and lifestyle.
Julia earned her nursing and nurse practitioner degrees from the University of Rhode Island and brings experience from Newport Hospital’s inpatient rehabilitation unit as well as outpatient dermatology. She is now accepting new patients and is also available for same-day sick visits, when possible.
Julia sees patients for preventive care, chronic condition management, and acute concerns. We’re excited to have her as part of our team and look forward to introducing her to our community.
To schedule, call 401-284-4555 or use the patient portal.
💉 Vaccines available all winter
We continue to offer flu and COVID-19 vaccines throughout the winter, along with pneumonia vaccines for eligible patients.
- Flu vaccine: recommended yearly for everyone 6 months and older
- COVID-19 vaccine: recommended per current guidance
- Pneumonia vaccines: important for older adults and those with certain medical conditions
If you’re due for a yearly physical or Medicare Annual Wellness Visit, vaccines can often be given at the same appointment.
👋 Now accepting new patients
We are currently accepting new patients at both locations.
To help us provide the best care from day one, we ask new patients to:
- Visit our New Patient Intake page on our website
- Complete all intake forms
- Request records from previous providers
Once we’ve received your records and completed paperwork, we will contact you to schedule your first visit.
🎄 Winter holiday hours
- Christmas Eve: Closing early
- Christmas Day: Closed
- Friday after Christmas: Closed
- New Year’s Eve: Closing early
- New Year’s Day: Closed
After-hours coverage remains available when the office is closed.
📞 How to reach us
Phone: 401-284-4555
Patient Portal & Scheduling:
https://myupdox.com/portal/osteopathicfamilymedicine/html/index.html
After-hours care:
- Press 1 for non-urgent messages
- Press 2 for urgent, non-life-threatening issues
- For emergencies, always call 911
💙 Thank you for being part of our community
We are grateful for the trust you place in us and remain committed to providing thoughtful, preventive, and patient-centered care—through every season.
Wishing you a safe, warm, and healthy winter,
Dr. Aaron Way and the Osteopathic Family Medicine Team
Osteopathic Family Medicine, LLC
55 Cherry Lane, Wakefield, RI
46 Holley Street, Wakefield, RI
