Life can throw us some painful curveballs, from sprains and broken bones to infections and fevers.
For medical problems that can't wait, some turn to Cheshire Medical Center's Emergency Department (ED) for care. But for conditions that aren't life threatening, Urgent Primary Care Visits is often the best option.
When to choose an Urgent Primary Care visit
The Urgent Visits team provides care for non-life-threatening medical problems that could become worse if you wait a day or two to treat them. In-person care can include performing X-rays and lab tests to find out what's wrong. Virtual Visits can include a prescription and recommendations for common problems.
Sprained your ankle while tripping over your dog? Did your 3-year-old lodge a piece of Lego in his nose? Do you think you might have food poisoning or the flu? If life throws problems like this at you, Cheshire's highly-trained Urgent Visit providers can help you today.
Common illnesses and minor injuries
The following ailments can be treated at Urgent Visits:
- Common illnesses such as earaches, migraines, rashes, urinary tract infections, or thrush
- Minor injuries such as sprains, back pain, minor cuts and burns, minor broken bones, or minor eye injuries.
- Respiratory symptoms, such as coughs, colds, sore throats, fever, or upset stomach.
If your symptoms may be COVID-19, please call your primary care provider first at 603-354-6760 so they can coordinate the best care for your needs.
Urgent Visits are available every day of the year, including holidays. As part of Cheshire's Primary Care department, the Urgent Visits team has instant access to the information they need to give you the best care, thanks to shared medical records via myD-H.
Primary care appointments cost less than a trip to the ED and the Urgent Visits team can usually treat patients with everyday illnesses and injuries sooner.
Last patient registration is 15 minutes prior to closing. However, depending on the number of patients on a given day, registration may close earlier to ensure quality care during our operating hours.
In general, you no longer have to call before you visit. To ensure that we are still registering patients please call ahead at 603-354-5484, in these cases:
- After 6 pm on weekdays
- After 2 pm on weekends
- After 12 pm on holidays
The Urgent Primary Care Visits Department is walk-in based. Use the Main Entrance, go straight to floor 1A in the north building of Cheshire Medical Center, then check-in at the Urgent Visit window.
How does "triage" affect my treatment and wait time?
Hospital EDs are for very serious or life-threatening problems, such as a heart attack, stroke or major injury.
If your health problem is a common illness or minor injury, then the Urgent Visit team can likely treat you much sooner than the ED. This is because of a life-saving system called triage. Triage assigns levels of urgency to wounds or illnesses to determine the order in which medical staff needs to treat patients. In the ED, everyday illnesses and injuries have to be treated after all serious, life-threatening conditions.
When to call 911 or visit the ED
Call 911 or get to your nearest ED if you are experiencing any of the following symptoms:
- Chest pain
- Severe abdominal pain
- Coughing or vomiting blood
- Severe burns
- Deep cuts or bleeding that won't stop
- Sudden blurred vision
- Difficulty breathing or gasping for breath
- Sudden dizziness, weakness or loss of coordination or balance
- Numbness in the face, arm or leg
- Sudden, severe headache (not a migraine)
- Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
- New confusion or inability to arouse
- Bluish lips or face, especially with COVID-19
- Seizures
- High fevers
- Any other condition you believe is life threatening
EDs are open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Calling 911 means one of the local ambulance services can come to you. The EMS (Emergency Medical Service) crew can give pre-hospital care as soon as they arrive, including interventions that could save the patient's life. Then they work hard to keep the patient safe and stable on the way to a local ED for treatment.
No matter where you go for care, be sure to bring a list of the current medications you are taking.
More information about Cheshire's ED and what to expect during your emergency care visit can be found here.
If you are a Cheshire Medical Center patient in need of urgent care, just walk in. Our Primary Care Urgent Visit department is open 365 days a year inside the Medical Center at 580 Court Street in Keene. Our hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 8:00 pm, Saturday and Sunday, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, and 10:00 am to 2:00 pm on holidays. Please see above regarding call ahead recommendations.
If you do not already receive your primary care from a team at Cheshire Medical Center, Family & Community Care, or our satellite locations in Walpole and Winchester, we can help you start the paperwork during your Urgent Visit. If you receive primary care elsewhere, please call your primary care provider for care or visit Convenient MD in Keene. You do not need to be a Cheshire patient to visit our ED.