As the nation braces for the latest world health scare, school districts, employers, and health agencies are releasing statements about guidelines and concerns about the Coronavirus. And while the media is making this health alert to be scarier than any thing we have seen in the last century, there are others who are acting advising the community that the real threat is even less than the common flu that so many people deal with in the winter months. The fact that this new Coronavirus appears to be able to live for 14 days, however, means that health officials do not think that the threat of the Coronavirus will disappear when the spring and summer temperatures arrive.
As parents of young children and adult children of older parents find themselves trying to sift through the latest information and news releases, health officials across the country are reminding everyone of how important it is implement the best hand washing practices on a more regular basis. Reteaching children the 20 second hand washing technique, in fact, may mean that they are less likely to get sick, not only from the Coronavirus that is expected to appear in the nation soon, but also illnesses and diseases.
Urgent Care Facilities Continue to be a First Stop for Many Families
No matter what kind of illness or injury you are concerned about, the fact remains that there are many times when the local urgent care walk in health clinic is the best option. Needing an appointment in advance to get into see a family physician or pediatrician limits that option for many families who wake with a sick child in the middle of the night, and the high cost of hospital emergency rooms should deter many people from taking the route when it is not needed. Instead, a visit to a walk in urgent care clinic is convenient, affordable, and reliable.
Convenient. One of the biggest advantages of a walk in health clinic is its convenience. The mere fact that 85% of urgent care centers are open seven days a week means that you can get the help that you need without having to wait for an appointment at a family physician’s office or wait in a long triage procedure in a hospital emergency room. The typical wait in one of these walk in clinics is often only 20 minutes so many families are able to get the answers they need and move on with the plans that they may have for the rest of the day or the weekend. Conveniently located in many shopping malls and stand alone buildings, most Americans who live in a large city are close to a location where they can get the care that they need.
Affordable. One fairly significant benefit to visiting a local urgent care with an illness or an injury is that these locations are often the most affordable option available. With up front pricing that is sometimes even listed in the waiting room, it is nice to know that you can get a strep throat test, an x-ray, or other necessary tests and screenings without having to pay a high price. Even at a time when more and more Americans have access to health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, most patients realize that it is to their benefit to be wise consumers even when they are sick. Expect during the times when you are in a life threatening emergency, it is always a better choice to visit a walk in health clinic than a hospital waiting room where you may be triaged and forced to wait hours for the simple care that you need.
Reliable. There are currently 20,000 physicians who practice urgent care medicine today, so a visit to one of these clinics means that you will be seen be a highly trained doctor or nurse who is practiced at making a wide range of diagnosis decisions. And given that so many of these clinics are affiliated with larger health organizations, these walk in clinic doctors and staff members often have access to previous health records and needed resources.