Whether we were ready or not, this year’s holiday season is here! For many, this is a time to visit their families and friends. Just like you, health professionals, including primary care providers and specialists, are planning vacations and taking time off. What are you to do when you or a family member gets sick and your provider isn’t available?

Your doctor may not be in the office, but you may still be able to reach them by phone. Often, providers have someone covering their practices or at least have an on-call provider you can speak with. Reaching out to them may save you some time and worry, especially when you have a minor issue that they can triage over the phone.

Many people believe the only alternative when their doctor isn’t available is to go to the emergency department. While this certainly manages the problem, it’s not always a convenient way to do so. Emergency departments are often more crowded around the holidays and should be reserved for those with truly life-threatening emergencies. If you’re having chest pain or stroke symptoms, the hospital is the place to be! If you have a sore throat going to the emergency department will cost you not only more money, but more time as well. Emergency departments are set to run on a triage system which sees the most ill patients before others, so just because you got there first doesn’t mean that you’ll be seen first and minor complaints can often take hours to be treated.

So, what do you do instead? SwiftCare is your answer! Urgent care facilities bridge the gap between primary care and emergency. Appointments don’t fill up weeks in advance, and there are never hours long wait times to see a provider. Urgent care clinics handle a variety of complaints including sore throats, flu or covid symptoms, minor cuts and burns, and urinary tract infection symptoms. Some, like us, even have some medications that you can get at the facility to save you a trip to the pharmacy. This is especially important on holidays when many pharmacies aren’t open.

We truly hope that your holiday season will be illness and injury free – but in the event that it isn’t, we’re here for you.