Urgent Care vs Emergency Care

Urgent Care Services

Our urgent care clinics can see you for a wide range of medical problems. It’s important that emergency conditions be seen at the emergency department. If our medical providers find you have an emergency condition, you’ll be moved to a hospital emergency room.

Urgent Medical Conditions

Urgent medical conditions require care quickly — usually within 24 hours — but aren’t life-threatening emergencies. Examples of urgent conditions include:

Accidents, falls and moderate cuts requiring stitches
Sprains, strains and moderate back problems
Breathing difficulties like mild to moderate asthma
Eye irritation and redness
Fever, flu, severe sore throat and coughs
Vomiting, diarrhea or dehydration
Minor broken bones and fractures like fingers and toes
Skin rashes and infections
Urinary tract infections

Diagnostic and Occupational Services

Our urgent care clinics are also able to provide diagnostic tests and imaging. These services include:

Radiology (X-rays)
Laboratory tests, including pregnancy, strep throat, mononucleosis, blood sugar levels and hemoccult (blood in stool)
Adult vaccinations

What isn’t appropriate for urgent care?

Our urgent care clinics are not emergency departments. Conditions that could permanently damage you or endanger your life should be seen at the emergency room. Dial 9-1-1 immediately if you or someone near you is suffering from a life-threatening medical problem.

Examples of conditions requiring emergency care include:

Severe chest pain or difficulty breathing
Compound fracture (bone protrudes through skin)
Convulsions, seizures or loss of consciousness
Heavy and uncontrollable bleeding, deep knife wounds and gunshot wounds
Moderate to severe burns
Poisoning
Serious head, neck or back injury
Pregnancy-related problems
Severe abdominal pain
Signs of heart attack, including chest pain lasting longer than two minutes
Signs of stroke like sudden numbness, weakness or slurred speech
Suicidal or homicidal feelings