As Americans seek quick and accessible medical care, urgent care has become increasingly popular, especially as an alternative to emergency rooms. Along with other benefits, urgent care clinics offers prompt medical attention for non-life-threatening conditions, are open beyond regular office hours, and can provide answers to many medical concerns.

However, despite the growing appeal, many misconceptions about urgent care still exist.

Myth 1: Urgent care clinics don’t have qualified medical professionals.

One common myth is that urgent care clinics are staffed by underqualified healthcare providers. On the contrary, urgent care clinics employ highly trained and licensed medical professionals, including physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners.

These professionals have expertise in diagnosing and treating a wide range of conditions. Many urgent care clinics also partner with local hospitals and healthcare networks, ensuring a seamless transfer of information when more specialized care is required.

Myth 2: You will wait hours to be treated at urgent care.

While many people associate urgent care with similar wait times to emergency rooms, they provide quicker medical access than primary care clinics, where last-minute appointments can be challenging to schedule.

With extended hours and walk-in services, urgent care can reduce the burden on emergency rooms for non-life-threatening cases and ensure patients receive prompt and appropriate care.

Myth 3: Urgent care can only treat minor ailments.

Urgent care clinics can treat more than colds, sprains, or minor cuts and bug bites. Most clinics use advanced medical technologies, allowing them to perform diagnostic tests such as X-rays, EKGs, and laboratory work. These advancements can help diagnose fractures, infections, and respiratory illnesses.

Urgent care clinics also often can administer intravenous (IV) fluids and medications, making them well-suited for managing dehydration, severe allergic reactions, and other acute conditions.

Myth 4: Urgent care is expensive compared to emergency rooms or primary care.

One prevailing myth is that urgent care clinics are expensive, leading patients to believe that emergency rooms or primary care clinics are more cost-effective options.

Instead, urgent care clinics often offer more affordable care than emergency rooms, especially for non-life-threatening conditions. The cost of receiving treatment at an emergency room can be significantly higher due to the specialized equipment, staffing, and overhead expenses associated with providing immediate critical care.

Urgent care clinics also accept various forms of insurance and typically have transparent pricing structures. Many clinics also offer self-pay options, providing upfront pricing information and reasonable rates for those without insurance, making them a viable option for prompt medical attention without breaking the bank.

How We Can Help

Visit Lincoln Urgent Care or Granite Bay Urgent Care for testing, diagnosing, and treatment options.

You can also book a telemedicine appointment or call either urgent care clinic for more details. We look forward to hearing from you!

Lincoln Urgent Care (916) 258-2751

Granite Bay Urgent Care (916) 570-7265

Are you worried your child might have pneumonia due to RSV or other persisting viruses? And, where is the best place to bring them for treatment if they do?

You might ask, “if my child has pneumonia, can I take them to an urgent care center? Do they have capabilities for diagnosis and treatments for pneumonia?”

This article will give information about pneumonia, particularly in infants and toddlers who are more at risk. We’ll also discuss how urgent care centers can provide diagnosis and treatments for pneumonia.

What is pneumonia, and what are its symptoms?

The most common symptoms for children infected with these viruses are coughing, trouble breathing, and fever. Children with pneumonia also usually experience fast breathing, or their lower chest may move in or retract when they inhale instead of expanding (just as in a healthy person).

Related article: Does Your Child Have RSV? Here’s What You Need to Know

The most common symptoms for children infected with these viruses are coughing, trouble breathing, and fever. Children with pneumonia also usually experience fast breathing, or their lower chest may move in or retract when they inhale instead of expanding (just as in a healthy person).

Other signs and symptoms of pneumonia may include

• chills
• breathing with grunting or wheezing sounds
• vomiting
• chest or belly pain
• being less active
• loss of appetite (in older children) or inability to feed or drink (in infants and newborns)

Severe symptoms of pneumonia in infants may even include unconsciousness, hypothermia, and convulsions.

If you suspect your child has pneumonia, whether or not they also have RSV or other persisting viruses, bring them to a doctor immediately.

Can I bring my child, who has pneumonia, to an urgent care center?

Emergency rooms are typically the go-to facility for urgent medical situations, such as when a child has trouble breathing or persistent high fever.

However, urgent care centers are the perfect choice for medical matters that are not too complex or life-threatening, especially if you can’t get an appointment with your regular doctor. Urgent care is excellent for treating pneumonia, RSV, and the flu.

Related article: Should I Use Urgent Care or the ER?

If you’re from Lincoln, CA, or Granite Bay, CA, our urgent care center has facilities that provide a diagnosis (such as chest x-ray) and treatments for pneumonia. If you think your child has pneumonia, we encourage you to visit an urgent care center.

Common questions about pneumonia

Is pneumonia contagious?
Pneumonia, in general, is not contagious. However, the viruses and bacteria that cause it can spread to others through the following:

• Breathing air that has droplets from the coughs and sneezes of someone infected
• Touching a contaminated object and then touching the mouth or nose.

Who is at risk of getting pneumonia?
Most healthy children are less likely to develop pneumonia from RSV and other viruses. However, children who have the following are more at risk:

• An immature or weakened immune system
• Pre-existing health conditions, such as asthma
• Exposure to indoor air pollution, such as smoke from cooking and cigarettes

Adults 65 years and older, those with existing medical conditions, and those who smoke are at a higher risk of getting infected.

What are the treatments for pneumonia, especially in infants and newborns?
If you think your child has pneumonia, visit your nearest urgent care center or hospital for a proper diagnosis, as treatment for pneumonia depends on what caused the infection.

Bacterial pneumonia is often treated with oral antibiotics; intravenous antibiotics (by vein) are typically given in infants and newborns. Viral pneumonia, however, requires other treatments. Depending on the severity, such as persisting fever or breathing problem, the infected child may need hospitalization. Treatments may include IV antibiotics and breathing treatments. In most severe cases, the child might be brought to an intensive care unit (ICU).

How long does pneumonia last?
With the proper treatment, children with bacterial pneumonia recover in 1–2 weeks, while viral pneumonia may take 4–6 weeks to go away completely.

How can pneumonia be prevented?
You can’t avoid getting infected with bacteria and viruses altogether, but you’re less likely to develop pneumonia from RSV and other viruses through vaccines.

Our urgent care centers provide routine vaccines and annual flu shots if you’re from Lincoln, CA, or Granite Bay, CA (and surrounding areas). Contact us to book an appointment.

You and your children can also help prevent pneumonia by avoiding people who are sick, washing your hands regularly, and cleaning and disinfecting commonly touched surfaces.

Have you ever experienced headaches, dizziness, or muscle cramps after being outside in the summer season? If so, you might have had heat exhaustion or heat stroke!

The good news? Heat exhaustion and heat stroke can be prevented! This article will show you how and what to do if you or your loved ones experience heat exhaustion and heat stroke signs.

What are heat exhaustion and heat stroke?

Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are common heat-related illnesses during the hot summer months. According to the CDC, heat exhaustion can happen with exposure to high temperatures with high humidity and occurs when our bodies lose excessive salt and water due to heavy sweating. Heat stroke occurs when heat exhaustion is not promptly treated, and our body can no longer control its temperature. It’s the most severe heat-related illness and can even be fatal.

Who’s at risk of heat exhaustion?

Anyone can experience heat exhaustion, and here’s why.

Naturally, our bodies can cool themselves during hot weather by sweating. However, there are instances when our body is less capable of cooling down properly, especially when we exercise strenuously or overwork our bodies in hot, humid weather.

As a result, we might experience heat cramps, another heat-related illness milder than heat exhaustion. When treated promptly (drinking fluids/sports drinks with electrolytes or resting in a cool area), we can prevent heat cramps from progressing to heat exhaustion.
However, some people are more at risk of heat exhaustion because their bodies cannot properly regulate their temperature naturally. These include:

• People with obesity
• Infants and children younger than four and adults older than 65
• Those who take tranquilizers and antipsychotics, and medications for high blood pressure, heart problems, and allergies

Individuals working in hot environments, taking illegal drugs that increase core temperature (such as cocaine and amphetamines), or those exposed to sudden temperature changes and a high heat index of 91 degrees Fahrenheit (33 degrees Celsius) or higher, are also more at risk.

What are heat exhaustion and heat stroke signs and symptoms?

According to the CDC, the heat exhaustion signs and symptoms include:

• Headache
• Nausea or vomiting
• Dizziness
• Tiredness or weakness
• Irritability
• Thirst
• Heavy sweating
• Elevated body temperature
• Decreased urine output
• Cold, pale, and clammy skin
• Fast, weak pulse
• Muscle cramps
• Fainting

Meanwhile, the signs and symptoms of heat stroke include:

• Confusion, altered mental status, slurred speech
• Loss of consciousness (passing out or coma)
• Hot, red, dry, or damp skin or profuse sweating
• Seizures
• Very high body temperature (103 degrees Fahrenheit or higher)
• Fast, strong pulse

If not treated promptly, heat stroke can become fatal.

How can I prevent heat exhaustion?

Here are several ways to prevent heat cramps and exhaustion:

• Stay hydrated by drinking lots of fluids.
• Wear loose-fitting and lightweight clothes during summer.
• If you’re not used to hot weather, limit your activities in the heat until your body is well adjusted.
• Protect yourself against sunburn by wearing a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or more.
• Avoid leaving anyone in a parked car, even with the windows slightly open during warm or hot weather (whether or not the vehicle is under a shaded area).
• Take extra caution if you’re at an increased risk of heat exhaustion or have a history of previous heat illness; try to avoid being in hot places, and if you notice any heat exhaustion signs, take immediate action.
• Avoid strenuous activities such as exercises, sporting activities, or physical labor in hot weather. If this is unavoidable, try to do them during a cooler time of day.
• Ensure there is medical aid available in case of emergency.

What are the treatments for heat exhaustion and heat stroke?

For those experiencing heat exhaustion signs, go to your nearest urgent care center for medical evaluation and treatment.

If you’re from Lincoln, CA, and Granite Bay, CA, our urgent care centers provide emergency services for treatments of heat exhaustion.

If you’re not able to go to a clinic, here are the treatments for heat exhaustion according to CDC:

• Call 911 if medical care is not available
• Have someone stay with you or your loved one until help arrives
• Go to a cool area and drink lots of fluids
• Remove unnecessary clothing, including shoes and socks
• Use cold compresses or wash your head, face, and neck with cold water
• Take frequent sips of cool water

If your heat exhaustion signs or symptoms worsen or do not improve within one hour, immediately contact your doctor or our urgent care centers in Lincoln, CA, or Granite Bay, CA.

If you are with someone showing heat exhaustion signs, seek immediate medical attention once they show symptoms of possible heat stroke.

In cases of heat stroke, here are the ways to treat someone showing signs and symptoms:

• Call 911 immediately
• Stay with them until emergency medical services arrive.
• Take them to a shaded, cool area and remove outer clothing.
• Cool them quickly with cold water or an ice bath (if possible), or by placing cold, wet cloths on the head, neck, armpits, and groin, or soaking a cloth with cool water.
• Circulate the air around them to speed cooling.

As always, preventing yourself and your loved ones from being at risk of heat-related illnesses is still best, and in cases of emergency, follow the mentioned treatments for heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

If you’re from Lincoln, CA, or Granite Bay, CA, visit our urgent care centers whenever you or your loved ones experience heat exhaustion and heat stroke signs and symptoms.