PARIS — The owner of a new health clinic in South Paris is hoping her services can help fill a need in the area for prompt, inexpensive care for minor medical problems.

The Coughs-N-Sniffles quick access clinic opened its doors Wednesday. It is operated by 41-year-old Kristie Knapp, a Maine-licensed nurse practitioner with 17 years of health care experience.

The aim of the business is to provide patients with fast, accessible medical services for a range of everyday ailments, from the common cold to muscle strains.

People can have a hard time getting a same-day appointment for their regular doctor, and there are often long wait times at crowded ER rooms, Knapp said. Coughs-N-Sniffles hopes to fill the void between the two.

“Lots of times people can’t get into their primary care provider for same-day visits, and ER visits for minor medical problems can take quite a while to get into,” Knapp said.

Additionally, the clinic offers children’s physicals required for camp, sports and school. Those are the types of necessary appointments people have a tendency to forget, Knapp said.

The clinic at 4 Market Square in South Paris has a roomy waiting room and an office space that leads to an evaluation room with two attached examination rooms.

So far, Knapp said, most people have been positive about her business, not only because it serves a need in the community, but also because it could help reduce congestion in local emergency departments.

“Hopefully we can take some of the pressure off them so they can deal with the bigger emergencies and I can deal with the smaller things,” she said.

The Auburn Walmart has a similar quick-care clinic and the model is beginning to spread in parts of New Hampshire, Knapp said.

Knapp, who lives in Norway, grew up in Phillips and started working as a nurse at St. Mary’s hospital in Lewiston before getting her advanced nursing degree and teaching at Central Maine Medical Center, also in Lewiston.

Her last position, before opening Coughs-N-Sniffles, was with the DFD Russell Medical Center in Turner, but she grew restless in the position.

“I was sick of doing the day-in day-out managing chronic medical illnesses for people who were not caring about taking care of themselves,” she said. “I thought I needed a change of pace to do the quick, easy stuff, but things that really make a difference.”

Most of the services provided at Coughs-N-Sniffles cost $68, but some, like suture removal, cost as little as $25. That’s not a lot, considering a trip to a physician or the ER can easily run into the hundreds of dollars.

The business is direct-pay only, which means Knapp will not be taking health insurance. Patients will be provided with proof of purchase that can be submitted to their insurance carrier for reimbursement or to pay down a deductible, but Knapp said it isn’t guaranteed.

The clinic is primarily aimed at people who don’t have health insurance or are underinsured, but Knapp admits that even her comparatively low costs might be too much for those patients.

Knapp runs the business with help from Steve White, a childhood friend and office manager, but if business takes off, she intends to add to her staff and find ways to make more services available, either through grant funding or a sliding pay-scale.

The clinic is open Tuesday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.