Patients With Non-Emergent Needs Encouraged to Visit Urgent Care
VermontBiz Due to high patient volumes at UVM Medical Center’s main campus Emergency Department, patients with non-emergent medical needs are being encouraged to consider seeking care at UVM Medical Center’s Urgent Care Clinic on College Parkway or to contact their primary care physician for advice.
The Emergency Department was under pressure Friday as a large number of patients – many of whom were experiencing higher levels of medical need – sought care. A regional hospital bed shortage is also impacting health care organizations in Vermont, New York and New Hampshire, and has prompted some organizations to restrict or temporarily stop accepting medical transfers to inpatient care units.
Clinical leaders emphasized that patients experiencing medical emergencies should continue seeking care at UVM Medical Center’s Emergency Department.
Patients with non-emergent needs or issues are encouraged to visit UVM Medical Center’s Urgent Care Clinic, 790 College Parkway, Colchester. Urgent Care provides non-emergency treatment for conditions such as:
· Colds, earaches, sore throats, and bronchitis
· Sprains, strains and simple bone fractures
· Minor cuts, lacerations, splinters and minor skin abscesses
· Conjunctivitis and superficial eye injuries
· Urinary tract infections (consider the ED if under 4 years old)
· Nausea, vomiting and stomach flu
· Rashes, minor burns and minor allergic reactions
These patients should also consider contacting their primary care provider’s office to help determine the best care setting for their needs.
UVM Medical Center apologizes for any inconvenience patients and their loved ones experience during this period of high ED volumes.
About the University of Vermont Medical Center
The University of Vermont Medical Center is a 499-bed tertiary care regional referral center providing advanced care to approximately 1 million residents in Vermont and northern New York. Together with our partners at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, we are Vermont’s academic medical center. The University of Vermont Medical Center also serves as a community hospital for approximately 150,000 residents in Chittenden and Grand Isle counties.
The University of Vermont Medical Center is a member of The University of Vermont Health Network, an integrated system established to deliver high-quality academic medicine to every community we serve.
For more information visit www.UVMHealth.org/MedCenter or visit our Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and blog sites at www.UVMHealth.org/MedCenterSocialMedia.