When to choose urgent care

Our VA and in-network urgent care providers can meet many of your health needs. And you can often get care for minor illnesses or injuries much faster than in an emergency room. 

Urgent care might be right for you if you have health problems or symptoms like these:

• A sore throat or persistent cough
• Strains, sprains, or minor broken bones 
• Deep cuts that are no longer bleeding a lot
• Allergies
• Mild burns
• Mild nausea or vomiting

When to call 911 or go to the emergency room

Any time you think your life or health is in danger, go to the nearest emergency room or call 911 right away. If you or someone else has symptoms that can’t wait (like choking, stopped breathing, or severe chest pain), don’t try to drive to an emergency room. Call 911 to have emergency care come to you.

Get emergency help right away for any symptoms like these:

• Head injury
• Trouble breathing
• Falling without a known cause
• Cuts that won’t stop bleeding, severe burns, or wounds that won’t close
• Stroke symptoms (like slurred speech, sudden numbness or weakness in a part of your body, loss of balance or vision, or a drooping face)
• Chest pain or discomfort (like pressure, squeezing, or a feeling of fullness in your chest) 
• Severe allergic reaction symptoms (like swelling lips or trouble swallowing or breathing) 
• Vaginal bleeding or abdominal pain during pregnancy

Also get emergency help right away for head injuries or any of these symptoms:

• Severe dizziness or losing consciousness (passing out)
• A headache that keeps getting worse or won’t go away
• Vomiting or nausea that won’t stop
• A high fever with a headache or stiff neck
• Seizures
• Dilated pupils, trouble waking up or staying awake, or clear fluids draining from the nose or ears after a head injury

These symptoms aren’t all the signs of an emergency. When in doubt, get help right away. If you need emergency care, you don’t need a VA referral or approval to go to a non-VA emergency room in your community.