What to bring when using the ER or Urgent Care
Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon began offering Urgent Care Monday, November 18, and that service is now available seven days a week. Emergency services remain available at Veterans Memorial Hospital seven days a week as well, 24 hours a day.
Urgent Care is designed for treating injuries or illnesses requiring immediate care, but not serious enough to require an emergency department visit. Urgent Care is now offered every Monday through Friday evening from 5-9 p.m. and Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 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 co-pay 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.
Veterans Memorial Hospital offers complimentary Medical Cards for anyone who wants a small, billfold-size form to keep all of this information neatly organized and available at all times. These free Medical Cards can be picked up from the main entrance of Veterans Memorial Hospital any day, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, call the hospital at 563-568-3411.
