SAN ANGELO, Texas - You’re slicing carrots in your kitchen for a midday snack. The knife slips, and you cut your finger. You think you may need stitches. You could go to the nearest hospital emergency department for treatment. But a better option might be an urgent care center.
When your medical needs are urgent, but not life-threatening such as a sprained ankle or minor cut, an urgent care center can provide a closer, faster, simpler and less expensive alternative to the ER. Visiting the ER for minor injuries or illnesses could end up costing you more than if your care was provided at an urgent care clinic or doctor’s office. Plus, it helps keep the emergency department free to handle more serious situations.
I find that many people are still unsure of the types of care available at these clinics — they are surprised at just how many things we are able to treat beyond a cold or the flu.
Along with regular daytime hours, most urgent care clinics are open in the evening and on weekends, and you can usually walk in without an appointment.
Shannon’s urgent care clinics each have X-ray and laboratory services available on site to help provide care quickly and conveniently. With 15 providers, they are available when you have an illness that won’t wait for an appointment with your regular physician.
Urgent care physicians are trained in emergency medicine, family practice or internal medicine. This provides them with the expertise to examine patients of all ages with various conditions and illnesses thoroughly.
Urgent care clinics can treat a variety of conditions for patients of all ages, including:
A cold or cough that doesn’t get better in several days or a cold that gets worse and is accompanied by a fever
Sprains and strains
A severe sore throat or a problem swallowing
Fever or flu-like symptoms
A rash, especially with fever, and other minor skin irritations and infections
Minor cuts that might need stitches
A bout of vomiting and diarrhea that lasts for more than a few hours.
A minor bone fracture
An insect or animal bite
School and camp physicals
Tetanus, Pertussis and Meningitis vaccinations
Urgent care centers treat patients of all ages, but sometimes caring for children requires special attention. As a parent, you have a pretty good idea when your child has an illness or injury that needs more than a hug and an over-the-counter medication.
When you can’t see your pediatrician — maybe it’s the weekend or after office hours — you may think your only option for help is a hospital emergency department. That is the best place to take your child if he or she is truly having a medical emergency; however, you may be able to see a doctor more quickly, and for less money, at an urgent care center than an emergency department. San Angelo’s first pediatric urgent care office opened last fall at Shannon Clinic North. It provides urgent care just for children and is staffed by an experienced pediatrician.
If you or your child is experiencing a life-threatening situation you should call 911 or go to a hospital emergency department right away. Those include:
Any significant change in behavior, such as being confused, delirious or excessively sleepy or becoming increasingly less responsive or alert.
A severe headache or vomiting, especially after a head injury.
Increasing pain or severe, persistent pain
Severe or persistent diarrhea
You should also get emergency help if your child is unconscious
Signs of a stroke: face droop, arm drift downward, speech slurred. Time is important.