Urgent Care again available every weekend; Remember to ask for local care

Urgent Care has returned with availability each weekend at Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH). Urgent Care services are again available every Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Patients may enter through the main entrance of the hospital and ask for Urgent Care.

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 the Emergency Room (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 along with them a list of all medications they take. 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.

In addition to utilizing Urgent Care, Veterans Memorial Hospital also encourages community members to ask their provider if their care can be provided close to home, at Veterans Memorial Hospital. Many of the hospital’s skilled care, surgical, maternity, laboratory, rehab and x-ray patients, among others, would have been sent elsewhere for their care, had they not specifically asked for local care. Here is a list of some of the services patient’s can ask for locally for convenience:

Laboratory: Veterans Memorial Hospital’s Laboratory has the ability to draw and run many lab tests locally. Specialists from out of town often require blood work prior to an appointment. Often those tests can be run locally and the results sent electronically the same day the blood is drawn. Weekly INR testing can also be completed by the hospital’s lab as well as wellness testing, which is provided daily from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday, by appointment.

X-ray/Radiology Services: CT scans, mammograms, dexa bone densitometry scans, and ultrasounds are available the same or the next day.

Nuclear Medicine: Cardiac stress tests are available every Thursday at Veterans Memorial Hospital.

Respiratory Therapy: Pulmonary function testing is available the same or next day, overnight oximetry tests are available within one or two days, and sleep studies are scheduled within a month or less.

Rehabilitation: Physical therapy, Occupational therapy and Speech therapy can all begin within one to two days.

Nutrition and Diabetes: Consultations for nutrition or diabetes can also begin within one or two days.

These services can often be delivered locally, close to home for great convenience.

In addition, the Veterans Memorial Hospital Waukon Clinic and Postville Clinic are both available Monday through Friday for any weekday medical needs.  The Waukon Clinic is open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with extended hours including every Monday morning starting at 7 a.m. and Thursday evenings until 7 p.m. The Postville Medical Clinic is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, closing from 1-2 p.m. each day.

For questions on Urgent Care and local medical testing and services, call Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.