Fit and Well Idaho: When to go to the emergency room vs. the urgent care

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — In this week’s Fit and Well Idaho we look when to go to the urgent care versus when to go to the emergency room.

Since winter typically presents more sickness than the rest of the year, you may be wondering when to go the urgent care, and when to go to the emergency room.

The emergency room is typically reserved for severe illnesses that may be considered a medical emergency, such as difficulty breathing, a seizure, stroke symptoms, or a severe allergic reaction.

The urgent care can help you in many areas such as with cuts, fevers and colds, a UTI, or even a broken bone.

Currently, at St. Luke’s Magic Valley, there is a high number of RSV cases, and the wait in the emergency room may be long.

“You don’t want to send patients to the emergency room for things that could be easily handled by an urgent care, the contralateral is true as well, if you have a serious issue you don’t want to have to waste that precious time starting at the urgent care, when truly in actuality you need to be in the emergency room,” said Martha Taylor, the assistant medical director at St. Luke’s Urgent Care.

It is also important to use your intuition, if it feels like threatening and serious, the emergency room is the place to go.

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