Urgent Care available over the New Year’s holiday

Urgent Care will be available over the New Year’s holiday, Tuesday, December 31 and Wednesday, January 1, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. both days at Veterans Memorial Hospital. The hospital offers Urgent Care in addition to 24-hour a day emergency room (ER) services each and every day. Twenty-four hours a day, the hospital’s ER is staffed with an emergency provider to see ER patients with little waiting. Urgent Care is offered every day as well including every week night, on the weekends and on holidays when the local clinic is closed. Urgent Care is designed for treating injuries or illnesses requiring immediate care, but not serious enough to require an emergency department visit.

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.

Urgent Care is held every Monday-Friday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and also on holidays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Again, Urgent Care will be offered Tuesday, December 31 and Wednesday, January 1 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Anyone needing to utilize the Urgent Care is asked to enter the hospital through the main entrance and register with the receptionist.  For more information, call Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.