Trego County-Lemke Memorial Hospital
What is Walk-In Clinic and When Should You Use It?
Life threatening emergencies, such as a heart attack or a serious head injury, require a visit to the Emergency Department (also most commonly referred to as the Emergency Room (ER) at the hospital).
When faced with a medical problem that necessitates care, it is often hard to assess if it is truly an emergency. Here are some guidelines to use to help you determine what is the best location for you to receive proper treatment.
Some examples of conditions that require emergency medical care include:
• Severe chest pain or difficulty breathing
• Compound fracture (bone protrudes through the skin)
• Convulsions, seizures or loss of consciousness
• Fever in newborn (less than 3 months old)
• Heavy, uncontrolled bleeding
• Deep knife wounds or gunshot wounds
• Moderate to severe burns
• Poisoning
• Serious head, neck or back injury
• Pregnancy-related problems
• Severe abdominal pain
• (Signs of) Heart attack (i.e. Chest pain lasting longer than 2 minutes)
• (Signs of) Stroke (i.e. Loss of vision, sudden numbness, weakness, slurred speech, confusion)
• Suicidal or homicidal feelings
Some examples of walk-in visits:
• Accidents or falls
• Sprains and strains
• Moderate back problems
• Breathing difficulties (mild to moderate asthma)
• Bleeding/cuts—not a lot of bleeding but may require stitches
• Eye irritations
• Fever or flu
• Vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration
• Severe sore throat or cough
• Minor broken bones (fingers/toes)
• Skin rashes and infections
• Urinary tract infections
• Diagnostic services, including labs and x-ray