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Know When to Go to Urgent Care vs. Emergency Department

Maybe it’s late at night or on the weekend and you need immediate medical care. Do you go to your local emergency department or a nearby urgent care? Making that choice can be easier if you know a few things about the locations.

Maybe it’s late at night or on the weekend and you need immediate medical care. Do you go to your local emergency department or a nearby urgent care? Making that choice can be easier if you know a few things about the locations.

“We want to ensure that our patients get the quality care they need as quickly and efficiently as possible,” said Dr. Ken Jones, chief physician officer at Atrium Health Floyd. “Knowing when to go to the ER or urgent care can make a big difference.”

For serious illness or injury that may put your life in danger, seek help at the nearest emergency department. Medical staff in emergency rooms are available 24/7, ready to address patients for several critical conditions.

You should call 911 or go immediately to an emergency department when experiencing:

  • Chest pain
  • Slurred speech
  • Stroke symptoms such as blurry vision, slurred speech, weakness on one side of the body, confusion, numbness
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Loss of consciousness
  • Serious trauma
  • Severe burns
  • Broken bones
  • Seizures
  • Severe abdominal pain
  • Vomiting is severe and continues for several hours
  • Poisoning
  • Deep cuts and abrasions where bleeding is uncontrollable
  • Pregnancy-related medical conditions

Atrium Health Floyd provides the most comprehensive emergency medicine program in the region or market.

Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center in Rome, Atrium Health Floyd Cherokee Medical Center in Centre, Alabama, and Atrium Health Floyd Polk Medical Center in Cedartown all offer emergency care. Atrium Health Floyd also operates a stand-alone emergency department in Chattooga County, providing lifesaving care in a largely rural area. Floyd Medical Center’s Trauma Center is accredited by the American College of Surgeons and is the only Level II trauma center in northwest Georgia.
 
When to go to Urgent Care

Similar to primary care, you’ll want to visit an urgent care facility if you’re experiencing an illness or injury that doesn’t put your life in danger, but the care you need is more immediate. Perhaps you suspect your cold symptoms are turning into a sinus infection, or you have a mild cut on your hand that needs to be cleaned and assessed for stitches. These are both non-life-threatening situations that would warrant a trip to urgent care.
 
You should seek care at an urgent care facility when experiencing:

  • Cold symptoms – headache, cough, congestion
  • Flu symptoms
  • Vomiting/fever
  • Ear infection
  • Minor injuries
  • Animal/insect bites
  • Sunburn
  • Minor strains/sprains
  • Minor bone fractures

 A bonus of urgent care is it does not require an appointment. You can walk in for care when it fits your schedule thanks to convenient extended hours every day of the week.

To learn more about picking the right place for the best care, visit floyd.org/GetCareNow.

Atrium Health Floyd and Harbin Clinic have a total of seven urgent care locations and two immediate care locations in Floyd, Gordon, Polk, Bartow, Chattooga counties in Georgia and in Cherokee County, Alabama.

Atrium Health also offers 24/7 virtual urgent care video visits, providing patients with the option of scheduling a convenient, online visit from the comfort of your home or office. No appointment is needed. Visit https://floyd.org/virtualoptions to learn more.

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