Urgent cares see increase in patients due to high wait times at emergency rooms

BRYAN COUNTY, Ga. (WTOC) - Emergency rooms in our area are being overwhelmed with patients every day.

WTOC checked in with urgent care providers to see how this is affecting them.

The CEO of Expercare said their urgent care facilities in Bryan and Chatham counties saw a surge of patients during peak COVID times but now they’re starting to see a normal influx of patients walking through their doors.

Catherine Grant says everyone can help with high emergency room wait times by coming to urgent cares when experiencing minor issues.

She says they can see anywhere from 30 to 100 patients a day but wait times in the urgent cares are much shorter than in emergency rooms.

She says any time you’ve been in a trauma related accident or feel like you have a life-threatening emergency you should go to the hospital.

“If you’ve got sudden loss of vision or sudden vision changes or sudden stumbling, something that’s indicating something going on in the brain. Sub sternal chest pain that radiating to the shoulder and concerns for that potentially being a heart attack,” said Grant.

She says it’s vital the community works together during this healthcare crisis.

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