Before the pandemic, people tend to self-medicate if it’s just a simple cold, cough, or sometimes flu. There are times that we only zip off to the GP or general practitioner and get ourselves checked if we feel like we’re not getting better with self-medication. However, in recent times with the COIVD-19 pandemic affecting the whole world, a mild cold or flu gets as restless and worried. With the current situation, it has been difficult to just zip to the doctors because hospitals and clinics are either closed or swamped with patients who have symptoms of the coronavirus.
This has been the priority right now for the past few months, and anyone who thinks they have anything related to those symptoms can book an appointment with a health care practitioner. However, what happens when it’s not related to that but it is an urgent matter that needs to be looked at immediately?
This is where the urgent care and emergency services step in, to help patients in urgent need. Recently there have been a few different facilities that have been built in various regions just for this purpose. They offer an array of services to its residents. We shall look at a few below so the next time you need one, you know where to go.
Sports Physicals
The majority of these facilities offer the service of sports physicals. In the event a sports player gets injured during a match or training session, they can easily seek the assistance of the medical professionals who are available at the urgent care clinics.
Most often they also offer walk-in services where if you need help immediately and there is no time to book an appointment, you can just walk right in and wait for your turn, which helps bring ease to a lot of people as opposed to waiting it out at home.
The physicians do a physical exam then identify conditions that may or may not be affecting your health, abilities, or overall performance. If it’s a specific issue, they also have the facilities to take X-rays of the body to do a thorough examination.
Another added benefit of these clinics is that they are open during weekends and in the evenings, which is also a helpful thing when the other hospitals are full or booked up and there is a waiting list for patients. Many times, we need to take time off work or rush in traffic, with these types of clinics there is no need for that, for mostly they are available 7 days a week.
Occupational Medicine
Another area of expertise a physician who works in an urgent care clinic or center can offer is that of occupational medicine. This is a specialized service that includes screening for drugs, alcohol, employee physicals, or worker compensation programs. These kinds of tests are being done so that they can help keep the workforce healthy and fit to work as well.
The urgency care facilities offer various types of drug tests from urine, saliva, hair, and even sweat samples, which employers and company seniors can request at the spur of the moment. Find out more about how these are done from this website.
Some workplaces need strict lab taken drug tests and if you’re looking for a place to get this done. According to the SAMSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration), workplace testing programs are designed for employees and employers too, to pick up any traces of illicit drugs in their systems.
In the US most workplaces are very strict on this and if found to have the presence of drugs in your system in any sector, such as sports, business, or even educational facilities, you can get immediately dismissed or suspended.
Lab Testing
Unlike most medical institutions, for instance, hospitals, lab tests are sent to specialized clinics, for example, the urgent care in Grovetown, GA wherein they have an in-house service on their site for lab testing. When hospitals send blood samples to these clinics this is where all the tests are conducted.
These tests are fundamental to doctors diagnosing any illnesses in their patients and must be done by certified professionals. They can test for aspects such as Hemoglobin levels, pregnancy tests, A1C which is a test for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes, cholesterol, urinalysis, strep throat, and much more.
We hope the information above will help you realize that there isn’t just one place to go to when you need urgent help or are not feeling well. Unless the clinics have strict protocols due to COVID-19, there is a chance you can use their walk-in services.
