Urgent Care available every day at VMH; When to seek Urgent Care
Veterans Memorial Hospital began offering Urgent Care last fall and it continues to be offered every Monday-Friday from 5 p.m. - 7 p.m. and Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Urgent Care is designed for treating injuries or illnesses requiring immediate care, but not serious enough to require an emergency room (ER) visit. See the chart at right to help decide when Urgent Care is the best choice. Patients may enter through the main entrance of the hospital and ask for urgent care. A registered nurse will assess each patient and decide if urgent care or ER is the level of care they need.
Examples of what a patient may seek Urgent Care for could include back pain; bladder or urinary tract infection; cough; cuts, scrapes and bruises; diarrhea; fever, colds and flu; ear pain, swimmer’s ear, ear infection or wax removal; insect or tick bite; joint pain; minor burn; nausea/vomiting; pink eye; rash; seasonal allergies; sinus and upper respiratory infection; sore or strep throat; strains/sprains; sudden back or neck pain; urinary problems or vaginal irritation/discharge. Most insurance does cover urgent care visits. Patients can usually expect to pay a copay or deductible for visits to Urgent Care treatment centers.
Emergency care needs to be sought immediately for such things as chest pain or difficulty breathing, weakness, numbness on one side, slurred speech, fainting or change in mental state, serious burns, head or eye injury, fever with a rash, seizures, and concussion or confusion. Patients should enter through the emergency entrance of the hospital for these symptoms.
In either an Urgent Care or an Emergency Room visit, all patients should be prepared by bringing a list of all medications they take along with them. This includes vitamins and supplements, and should include how much of each is taken and how often. In addition, a list of allergies and past medical procedures or surgeries and when they occurred should be brought along as well.
