Areas
Online Doctor in South Puerto Rico: Juana Díaz, Villalba, Coamo, Santa Isabel and Salinas
An online doctor in south Puerto Rico sees you by video from Juana Díaz, Villalba, Coamo, Santa Isabel or Salinas: Dr. Diana Nieves Castro, MD, treats patients of all ages while they are on the island. None of these five towns has a hospital, so for an emergency you go to Ponce, Aibonito or Guayama, or call 911.
Is it an emergency? Call 911.
Video only
We are a telehealth-only service: we have no office or clinic in this area or anywhere else in Puerto Rico. If you need to be seen in person, this guide shows where to go.
Is this an emergency?
This is not an emergency service. Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room if you have:
- Chest pain, shortness of breath or stroke signs: call 911, because the nearest hospital is in another town
- A child with fever who is struggling to breathe or is very limp
- Fever with belly pain, repeated vomiting or bleeding from the nose or gums
- A baby under 3 months with a fever
Help lines
Why a video visit saves the trip in the south
According to federal hospital data (CMS), none of the five municipios in this guide has a hospital. The hospital ERs that serve them are elsewhere: in Ponce (Hospital Metropolitano Dr. Pila, on Metro Pavia's 24/7 adult and pediatric ER lists), in Aibonito and Cayey (Hospital Menonita, per CMS) and in Guayama (Hospital Menonita Guayama, with an adult and pediatric ER and emergency physicians 24/7, per its website).
The same goes for 24-hour pharmacy counters: of Puerto Rico's five, the ones near you are on Ave Emilio Fagot in Ponce and on Ave Jesús T. Piñero in Cayey. Which one suits you depends on the town; each is below. For anything that is not an emergency (a cold, fever, urinary infection, rash or refill), the doctor sees you by video without driving or looking for parking. In an emergency, call 911.
Before you leave home
Why a video visit
For anything that isn’t an emergency, compare what each option takes.
| Comparison | Video visit | Emergency room | CDT or doctor’s office |
|---|---|---|---|
| Getting there | From home: join from your phone, tablet or computer. | Drive and find parking. | Drive and find parking. |
| Waiting room | Skip the waiting room: join from wherever you are in Puerto Rico. | Yes, a waiting room. | Yes, a waiting room. |
| Hours and time | We do not publish a wait time. Request a visit online 24/7 — we confirm your time by email or text. | In Puerto Rico, a median of 4 h 52 min from arrival to departure for patients sent home (US: 2 h 42 min; Oct 2024–Sep 2025).1,2 | An in-person visit takes about 2 hours on average, including travel.3 |
| Price | US$79 visit · US$49 follow-up · US$35 forms. You see it before you pay; no insurance needed. | Depends on your insurance and on what is done. | Depends on your insurance and on what is done. |
| Language | Spanish or English, with the same doctor. | Depends on the place. | Depends on the place. |
| Prescriptions | If appropriate, the doctor prescribes and we send your prescription to your pharmacy. | Yes, if needed. | Yes, if needed. |
| When to go in person | If the doctor needs to examine you in person or run a test, she tells you and guides you. | In an emergency: chest pain, trouble breathing, weakness on one side or bleeding that won’t stop. Call 911. | If you need stitches, an X-ray or a test on the spot. |
For problems that are not emergencies. In an emergency, call 911.
Table sources
- 1. CMS Care Compare, “Timely and Effective Care – State”, measure OP-18b: median time in the emergency department, arrival to departure, for patients sent home (opens in a new tab), data for Oct 2024–Sep 2025 (accessed 2026-10-02)
- 2. CMS Care Compare, “Timely and Effective Care – National”, measure OP-18b (US figure) (opens in a new tab), data for Oct 2024–Sep 2025 (accessed 2026-10-02)
- 3. Ray KN et al., “Opportunity costs of ambulatory medical care in the United States,” Am J Manag Care 2015;21(8):567-74 (US data, 2003–2010) (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-10-02)
We found no published source for what a patient pays at an ER or a CDT in Puerto Rico, so we give no figure.
Doctor online in Juana Díaz
Juana Díaz is the largest town in this guide: 46,045 residents per the Census (July 1, 2024), 22.0% aged 65 or older. It is also the closest to a 24-hour counter.
- Nearest ER: Hospital Metropolitano Dr. Pila, 2435 Blvd Luis A. Ferré, Ponce, 787-848-5600, about 9 miles in a straight line. Adults and children, per Metro Pavia's lists.
- Pharmacy in town: Walgreens, Route 149 and Route 584, Juana Díaz, 787-837-1111. Counter: Mon–Fri 8 a.m.–10 p.m., Sat 9 a.m.–6 p.m., Sun 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
- 24-hour counter: Walgreens, 2979 Ave Emilio Fagot, Ponce, 787-841-7400, about 7 miles in a straight line; closed 1:30–2 a.m.
- Request a video visit from Juana Díaz.
Doctor online in Villalba
Villalba has no hospital and no Walgreens in town (Walgreens locator, October 2, 2026). Its community health center is on Route 149, in the Villalba Arriba sector.
- Nearest ER: Hospital Metropolitano Dr. Pila, Ponce, 787-848-5600, about 13 miles in a straight line. Hospital Menonita de Aibonito is about 14 miles in a straight line (ER per CMS).
- Community health center: Med Centro HIIP Villalba Satellite Center, Route 149 Km 57.7, Villalba Arriba sector, 787-843-9393 ext. 1501. 40 hours a week per HRSA; not an ER.
- Nearest pharmacy: Walgreens, Route 149 and Route 584, in Juana Díaz, about 6 miles in a straight line; counter open until 10 p.m. on weekdays.
- 24-hour counter: Walgreens, Ave Emilio Fagot, Ponce, about 11 miles in a straight line.
- Request a video visit from Villalba.
Doctor online in Coamo
From Coamo, the nearest hospital ER is not in Ponce but up the road in Aibonito, and the two 24-hour counters (Cayey and Ponce) are about the same distance away.
- Nearest ER: Hospital Menonita de Aibonito, Calle José C. Vázquez, Bo. Caonillas, Aibonito, 787-735-8001 (Sistema de Salud Menonita; emergency services per CMS), about 8 miles in a straight line. Next, Hospital Menonita de Cayey, 787-535-1001, about 13.
- Pharmacy in town: Walgreens, 106 Blvd Piel Canela, 787-803-6802. Counter: Mon–Fri 9 a.m.–8 p.m., Sat 9 a.m.–6 p.m., Sun 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
- 24-hour counter: Walgreens, 5800 Ave Jesús T. Piñero, Cayey, 787-263-5166, about 15 miles in a straight line; Ponce's is about 16.
- Community health centers (Med Centro, [787-843-9393](tel:+17878439393)): Coamo Satellite Center, Route 153 Km 13.7, Bo. San Ildefonso, and Coamo/Salinas NAP, Ave Luis Muñoz Marín; 40 hours a week each per HRSA.
- Request a video visit from Coamo.
Doctor online in Santa Isabel
Santa Isabel has the youngest population in this guide: 19,651 residents and only 18.5% aged 65 or older (Census, 2024). With young children at home, remember the doctor sees children of all ages by video, with a parent or guardian on camera.
- Nearest ER: Hospital Metropolitano Dr. Pila, Ponce, 787-848-5600, about 15 miles in a straight line, on Metro Pavia's pediatric list. To the east, Hospital Menonita Guayama (787-864-4300) also sees children, per its website.
- Pharmacy in town: Walgreens, 250 Route 153, 787-845-2227. Counter: Mon–Fri 9 a.m.–9 p.m., Sat 9 a.m.–6 p.m., Sun 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
- 24-hour counter: Walgreens, Ave Emilio Fagot, Ponce, about 13 miles in a straight line.
- Community health center: Centro de Servicios Primarios de Salud de Patillas, Santa Isabel satellite clinic, 32 Calle Muñoz Rivera, 787-839-4320. 37.5 hours a week per HRSA.
- Request a video visit from Santa Isabel.
Doctor online in Salinas
Salinas looks east and toward the mountains: its nearest hospital ERs are in Aibonito and Guayama, and its nearest 24-hour counter is in Cayey, not Ponce.
- ER for adults and children: Hospital Menonita Guayama, Ave Pedro Albizu Campos, Guayama, 787-864-4300, about 12 miles in a straight line; per its website, an adult and pediatric ER with emergency physicians 24/7. Hospital Menonita de Aibonito is about 11 miles away (per CMS). See the Guayama guide.
- Pharmacy in town: Walgreens, 1001 Ave Pedro Albizu Campos, 787-824-7352. Counter: Mon–Fri 9 a.m.–7 p.m. and Sat 9 a.m.–6 p.m.; the locator shows no Sunday hours, so call first.
- 24-hour counter: Walgreens, 5800 Ave Jesús T. Piñero, Cayey, 787-263-5166, about 15 miles in a straight line.
- Community health center: Centro de Servicios Primarios de Salud de Patillas, Salinas satellite clinic, 114 Calle José Celso Barbosa, 787-839-4320 ext. 1236. 50.5 hours a week per HRSA. Salinas population: 24,504 (Census, 2024).
- Request a video visit from Salinas.
How we care for you by video in the south
Dr. Diana Nieves Castro, MD, a primary care physician licensed in Puerto Rico with several years of emergency-department experience, evaluates, diagnoses and treats adults and children of all ages, in English or Spanish. If needed, she gives you a lab order for a lab near you. If appropriate, the doctor prescribes and we send your prescription to your pharmacy, including a 24-hour counter in Ponce or Cayey if you need it at night. We do not prescribe controlled substances.
We send you a secure video link; it works on your phone, tablet or computer. Anyone under 21 needs a parent or legal guardian on the video, with ID. Request a visit online 24/7 — we confirm your time by email or text.
- Doctor visit, US$79: new problems and non-emergency urgent care.
- Follow-up, US$49: a refill of a medicine you already take.
- Forms, US$35: school, university or job forms.
- Your card is charged when you request the visit (Apple Pay or Google Pay too, if they appear on the payment page), with a full refund if it can't happen.
Neighboring towns
The city's ERs and 24-hour counter are in our Ponce guide. Guayanilla and Peñuelas are in the southwest guide; Aibonito is in the east-central guide; and Cayey and Guayama have their own guides. All areas: areas.
Verified on 2026-10-02: the addresses, phone numbers and hours on this page. Call before you go, because hours change.
How we care for you
We evaluate, diagnose and treat; if needed, we give you a lab order for a lab near you.
We see adults and children of all ages. Patients under 21: a parent with patria potestad (parental authority) or a legal guardian is on camera for the whole visit and shows photo ID.
Real-time video visit. We send you a secure video link. It works on your phone, tablet or computer.
If appropriate, the doctor prescribes and we send your prescription to your pharmacy. We do not prescribe controlled substances.
You must be physically in Puerto Rico during the visit (visitors, tourists and cruise passengers are welcome).
In an emergency, call 911.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a hospital in Juana Díaz, Villalba, Coamo, Santa Isabel or Salinas?
Which 24-hour pharmacy counter is closest in the south?
Where do I take a child with an emergency from Salinas?
Can I get a refill by video from Coamo?
About this page
Author: The Health Initiative
Medical care provided by Dr. Diana Nieves Castro, MD (PR license 24027)
Disclosure: Founding Executive Director of The Health Initiative
Published: 2026-10-02 · Updated: 2026-10-02
Sources (13)
- CMS: Hospital General Information (Puerto Rico) (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-10-02)
- Metro Pavia: 24/7 adult emergency rooms (Spanish) (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-10-02)
- Metro Pavia: pediatric emergency rooms (Spanish) (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-10-02)
- Menonita Health System: Hospital Menonita Guayama (Spanish) (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-10-02)
- Menonita Health System: hospital phone numbers (Spanish) (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-10-02)
- Walgreens, Route 149 and Route 584, Juana Díaz: pharmacy hours (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-10-02)
- Walgreens, 106 Blvd Piel Canela, Coamo: pharmacy hours (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-10-02)
- Walgreens, 250 Route 153, Santa Isabel: pharmacy hours (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-10-02)
- Walgreens, 1001 Ave Pedro Albizu Campos, Salinas: pharmacy hours (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-10-02)
- Walgreens, 2979 Ave Emilio Fagot, Ponce: 24-hour pharmacy (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-10-02)
- Walgreens, 5800 Ave Jesús T. Piñero, Cayey: 24-hour pharmacy (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-10-02)
- HRSA: Health Center Service Delivery Sites (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-10-02)
- US Census Bureau: municipio population estimates, Vintage 2024 (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-10-02)