No one plans on having an emergency or an accident. However, when such an unfortunate occurrence takes place, one needs to know where to go to get help quickly. Recent decades have seen a boom in free-standing urgent care clinics. Gone are the days of having to spend hours in a hospital emergency room for an injury or condition that could be handled on an outpatient basis. This includes cases such as flu, a cut requiring stitches and possibly a tetanus shot, or a minor work-related injury. Urgent care facilities have also become a substitute for some primary care needs as well, covering such services as employer-mandated drug screening, flu shots, allergy shots, work and school physicals, and even preventive health care.
North American Emergency Medical Center provides these kinds of Urgent Care Services. This facility, and facilities like it are prepared for walk-in emergencies and other services. Urgent care centers are staffed by competent medical personnel and should be certified by JACHO, their umbrella organization. Many urgent cares are also offshoots of established full-service hospitals and as such have access to the services of doctors, nurses and technicians employed by the hospital as well as laboratory services and radiology reading. A motto of an urgent care service facility may be “get in, get out, get better,” as it is at NAEMC. The usually keep flexible hours, open longer every day than, for example, a family medical practice. The physicians are trained as emergency physicians, which means that they can handle a wide variety of circumstances and deal with all comers. Care specialists like this thrive on dealing with anything that comes their way.
In addition to Urgent Care Services and immediate care, many facilities have expanded their operations to include preventative healthcare, pain management, sports medicine, and other services usually not considered to be of an emergent type. Most clinics accept patients on a walk-in basis, so there is no long wait time for an appointment. Additionally, many facilities accept a broad range of insurance coverage, although some keep costs down by operating on a “cash and carry” basis only. Ask around amongst neighbors, friends and family to see where they go for emergency care; not all centers are created equal, and it is important to receive appropriate professional care. A caring and compassionate staff and highly trained professional care providers are the keys to a good urgent or emergency care center.
