PeaceHealth asks people to avoid the emergency room

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 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.

Courtesy of PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center