Doctors urging patients to utilize Urgent Care Centers to help relieve Emergency Departments

VISALIA, Calif. (KFSN) -- With exigency rooms crossed the Central Valley overwhelmed with patients, aesculapian professionals are urging radical to see their options erstwhile thing is not an emergency, and tin beryllium dealt with astatine a section urgent care.

"Some radical spell to the exigency country for insignificant things that they could travel present for, and that conscionable benignant of clogs up our system," explains Dr. Steve Carstens astatine Kaweah Health Urgent Care connected Court Street successful Visalia.

He says galore providers astatine section urgent cares person acquisition successful the Emergency Department, including himself.

"If you person tons of worldly going on, and past you person 1 sick idiosyncratic successful there, due to the fact that there's truthful overmuch other going on, it's hard to prime up that 1 sick person, and that's a problem," says Dr. Carstens.

So acold successful December, the Kaweah Health Emergency Department has seen an mean of much than 250 patients per day.

That is simply a flimsy driblet from the grounds numbers successful August, erstwhile they saw much than 280 patients daily.

Putting unit connected unit and impacting hold times.

Dr. Carstens mentions, "When that happens, erstwhile radical get backed up, atrocious things happen, and truthful we effort not to person that happen. That's wherefore we're here, too."

As flu play continues, doctors expect to spot grounds numbers again but accidental the Emergency Department whitethorn sometimes beryllium the champion option.

"So if radical person underlying aesculapian problems similar kidney transplant oregon immoderate benignant of transplant, terrible diabetes, COPD, bosom failure, cancer, they instrumentality immunosuppressives. They should spell to the ER, particularly if they're abbreviated of breath," urges Dr. Carstens.

Kaweah Health Urgent Cares are located astatine 1633 Court Street and 3600 W. Flagstaff Avenue, disconnected Demaree successful the Shannon Ranch country of Visalia. Both locations judge astir insurances, and though hold times whitethorn vary, they are typically shorter than those successful the Emergency Department.

The Court Street determination is unfastened 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. regular and the Demaree determination is unfastened 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

Each determination volition person constricted hours done the holidays; those are listed below.

Court Street Location:

• Christmas Eve - Open until 5:00 p.m.

• Christmas Day - Open until 5:00 p.m.

• New Year's Eve - Open until 5:00 p.m.

• New Year's Day 2026 - OPEN

Demaree Location:

• Christmas Eve - Open until 12:00 p.m.

• Christmas Day - CLOSED

• New Year's Eve - Open until 12:00 p.m.

• New Year's Day 2026 - CLOSED

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