Urgent care centers can't treat real medical emergencies

A less-comprehensive urgent care facility will be the only "medical lifeline" that will serve the Lower West Side of Manhattan.

Last week, before St. Vincent's Hospital was closed, Governor David Paterson announced that state grants (at least one reportedly worth $9.4 million) will fund a watered-down urgent care center in the area. Lenox Hill Hospital will operate the center at the former site of St. Vincent's Hospital, before it would move to a permanent site, The New York Daily News reported.

Yesterday's closing of St. Vincent's Hospital in the West Village, and the proposal to replace it with an urgent care center, creates a deadly public health threat for residents of the Lower West Side of Manhattan.

As was reported by WCBS News, "An urgent care center will be the only medical lifeline to serve the community. Although it will be open 24/7, it will only treat minor injuries...."

How you can decide if and when you need to go to the emergency room of a hospital : If you have a serious condition, like a stroke, heart attack, severe bleeding, head injury, or other major trauma. Don't take a chance with anything life-threatening. The ER is the best place for these and other critical conditions, including :
- chest pain
- difficulty breating
- severe bleeding or head trauma
- loss of consciousness
- sudden loss of vision or blurred vision
- heart attack
- stroke
- diabetic shock
- car accident
- severe fall
- life threatening allergic reactions

When an urgent care center might better meet your needs :
- minor burns or injuries
- sprains and strains
- coughs, colds, and sore throats
- ear infections
- non life-threatening allergic reactions
- fever, or other flu-like symptoms
- rash or other skin irritations
- mild cases of asthma
- animal bites