Safe Emergency Care During COVID-19
Our team is here for you 24/7 to handle your emergency care safely. Check in online to wait from home to practice social distancing for non-life-threatening health needs.
Call ahead if you have symptoms of COVID-19 including fever, cough, or shortness of breath.
Your Home Is Not An E.R.
Don't Let It Become One.
Your home is the center of your life. A place of comfort and familiarity. But it’s not an emergency room. So, don’t let it become one.
If you experience symptoms of a stroke or heart attack, have trouble breathing, or have a serious injury or medical issue, it is critical that you don’t wait to seek care.
McLaren is here for you – and still the safest place to go in an emergency.
Emergency Room vs. Urgent Care
Emergency Room
An emergency is a serious symptom or medical condition that is caused by an illness or injury. Most emergency departments are open 24/7, as patients may arrive any time of the day or night. In deciding whether to seek treatment at an emergency department, consider the seriousness of the condition and symptoms. For serious injuries or medical conditions, you should go to an emergency room. The conditions that need care in an emergency department include, but are not limited to:
- Signs and symptoms of a stroke, including sudden numbness in an extremity
- Symptoms of a heart attack, including chest pain and/or shortness of breath
- Seizures or loss of consciousness
- Severe injuries, such as fractures or head trauma
- Vomiting or coughing up blood
- Deep cuts or bleeding that won’t stop
- Severe burns
- Severe abdominal pain
Urgent Care
Urgent care centers are usually used to treat patients with medical conditions that require immediate attention, but are not serious enough to warrant a visit to an emergency room. Conditions that may be effectively treated at urgent care centers include:
- Sprains and strains
- Infections, including urinary tract or respiratory infections
- Minor cuts with controlled bleeding
- Colds, coughs and sore throat
- Flu symptoms and/or fever
- Skin rashes and minor injuries
Most urgent care centers have extended hours, including evenings and weekends, and offer walk-in appointments.
When in doubt, patients who feel their symptoms require immediate medical attention may choose to go to a hospital emergency department, where medical professionals can determine which level of care is required.
When You Arrive at the ER
You’ll pass through a metal detector upon entering the ER, and after that you will speak with a registration clerk who will take your information and why you are there, and then direct you to have a seat in the waiting room until the triage nurse is available to assess you. A triage nurse is a nurse specially trained in emergency care. He or she will ask about your problem and will also check your temperature, pulse, and blood pressure. You may be asked to wait if other patients come in who may have a more urgent problem. If you feel that your condition has changed while you are waiting, let the triage nurse know.
What to Expect in the ER
The ER is a department in a hospital or medical center that is designated to treat emergency situations. Unlike a doctor's office, you don't need an appointment, but that means many people may need treatment at the same time. Patients in the ER are not seen in the order of arrival, instead, the most urgent problems are treated first, and this is called triage. An ER will address and treat urgent issues and may not address every complaint you have if it is not an immediate threat to you.
Your Emergency Care
In the ER, a doctor or team of doctors and nurses will care for you. You may have X-rays, blood work, or other tests. You will need to wait for the results of any tests you have. You also may wait to see a doctor who specializes in treating your problem. In the meantime, you will be made as comfortable as possible. If your condition changes, let your doctor or nurse know right away. If they don’t feel it is safe for you to be discharged, they may ask to admit you. If this happens, you will stay in the ER and be cared for until a bed is available on a medical unit. If they tell you they want to keep you for observation, but not for admission to the hospital, have someone check with your health insurance company about whether that service is covered. If the ER is VERY busy, it is possible that testing, lab work, and treatment may all happen while you are in the waiting room so that you don’t need to wait as long.
Being Discharged from the ER
You may be admitted to the hospital if you are very ill or need further evaluation or treatment. But you often can be treated right in the ER. Before a friend or family member takes you home, you'll be given written instructions about how to care for yourself. You may also be given prescriptions for any medicines you need. Be sure to ask your doctor or nurse if you have any questions about the care you received, additional instructions about the care you need after ER discharge, or about your prescriptions.