Submitted by PeaceHealth
PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center asks that Whatcom County residents with non-emergent health issues opt to visit their primary care physician or a drop-in clinic to preserve the facility’s emergency room for those patients seeking care for critical health issues.
The emergency room is the appropriate care location for individuals experiencing serious or potentially life-threatening injury or illness. Examples include: severe burns; serious lacerations; or sudden blurred vision, dizziness, weakness or loss of coordination or balance. The ER also is the appropriate for symptoms like chest pain, difficulty breathing or severe abdominal pain that may require an extensive work-up– lab tests and imaging–in a short period of time. Vulnerable groups with serious medical issues, such as infants under three months old with a fever, should also be taken to the ER.
Those experiencing conditions that are not life- or limb-threatening should seek treatment at a primary care, urgent care or same-day care clinic. More information about where to go for care can be found here.
