Is it Urgent or Emergent
With emergency rooms experiencing record high volumes this list will help determine when to seek emergency care and when to seek urgent care or primary care.
This list is meant as a guide only and is not individual medical advice. For any life threatening concerns, dial 911. If you are not certain you are experiencing a medical emergency, we are available to assess you in one of our three emergency departments, 24/7. While Upstate has after-hours urgent care for kids at our Community Hospital location, it does not have an urgent care center for adults.
Emergency Room
- Abuse (domestic, child, elderly)
- Allergic reactions (anaphylactic shock)
- Breathing problems: severe respiratory distress
- Bleeding you can’t stop
- Burns: severe or smoke inhalation
- Choking
- Drowning or near drowning
- Electric shocks
- Eye Injuries
- Head trauma with loss of consciousness
- Heart attack, chest pain, or chest pressure
- Losing consciousness
- Suicidal thoughts or severe psychiatric complaints
- Seizure
- Severe cuts (lacerations)
- Severe pain
- Sexual assault
- Stroke symptoms
- Trauma with significant injury
Urgent Care
- Burns: Minor
- Ear infections
- Colds
- Coughs
- Diarrhea
- Flu, Cold or mild COVID symptoms
- Insect bites
- Minor cuts or lacerations that require stitches or glue
- Rashes
- Skin infection
- Sore throats
- Sprains and strains
- STD (sexually transmitted disease) treatment
- Vomiting