The time has come to get smart about whether or not you have a medical emergency.
University Medical Center Doctor Peter DeBlieux, echoing what many ER doctors are saying, Emergency Rooms are at capacity and you shouldn't come to the hospital unless you have a legitimate emergency.
"Should folks be streaming into emergency departments because they think that they might have COVID or an exposure? Most folks should not," DeBlieux says.
Instead, DeBlieux recommends: "Those folks who are the 'walking well' should be hitting up things such as our LCMC Nurse Hotline and the nurse will guide folks."
DeBlieux cites an example of patients who think they might have been exposed to COVID and want an immediate vaccination coming to the emergency room.
"We would like people to be prudent and come to the emergency department for true emergencies. And not bog down emergency departments with insignificant complaints."
DeBlieux says emergency rooms are dealing with enough life threatening cases as it is. He recommends people who think they have an emergency to pick up the phone:
"Utilizing nurse hotlines is the way to go to decongest the emergency departments."
He says nurse hotlines can address concerns of people who think they have an emergency or if they just need to go to an urgent care clinic.
LCMC Health's Nurse Hotline can be reached at 504-962-6202.