St. Joseph hospital ER use is up. Here’s when other care might be a better option

St. Joseph hospital is asking people seeking care for conditions that are not urgent to visit a primary care physician or drop-in clinic before visiting the emergency department.

“The medical center has seen a significant influx of patients to the emergency department with nonurgent conditions causing long wait times,” according to a PeaceHealth news release Tuesday, May 17. The average number of emergency department patients per day has increased each month since February, according to an email from Beverly Mayhew, PeaceHealth spokesperson.

The number is up 7.5% for May over April, with data from just half the month.

Serious and life-threatening medical emergencies that require a visit to the emergency department, according to a January PeaceHealth news release, include fractures, serious cuts, severe bleeding, head or eye injuries, sudden blurry vision, dizziness, weakness or loss of coordination or balance, chest pain, difficulty breathing, moderate to severe burns or loss of consciousness.

Non-life-threatening or minor medical issues such as mild burns or cuts, allergies, sprains, urinary tract infections or flu and cold symptoms can be dealt with by primary care providers and urgent care or same-day clinics, according to the hospital.

 

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