The Emergency Department at Windom Area Health has begun triaging every patient who comes to be seen in the ER. Triage is the process of determining the priority of patients’ treatments by the severity of their condition or likelihood of recovery with and without treatment. This means that non-critical patients who present to the ER may experience longer wait times. If your medical concern isn’t emergent, it could be beneficial to go to an Urgent Care Center, make an appointment, or visit a Walk-In Clinic instead.
Not sure where you should go?
Where you go matters both for your care and care of other patients. As a general rule, an ER is for when life or limb are at risk (such as chest pain, stroke symptoms, or traumatic injuries) and staff are prepared for any critical situation at all times. When you aren’t able to wait for an appointment, but you don’t quite need an ER (such as a sprain, vomiting or persistent diarrhea) then an Urgent Care Center is the right choice. Walk-In Clinics provide same-day care for minor illnesses and health care needs (such as sports physicals, sore throat, or ear pain).
The ER at Windom Area Health is committed to treating everyone that comes in and we do our best to treat our patients as fast as we can. As we triage all patients, there may be long or short wait times depending on what critical patients are in the ER at that time. There will likely be long wait times when coming to the ER with cold, flu, or COVID-19 symptoms. If you are waiting in the ER, it means that you are not critically ill and we appreciate your patience as we treat those who are.
By Katie Bennett, ED/Trauma/Stroke Coordinator