January 15, 2008
The Palo Alto Medical Foundation’s Fremont Center Opens Urgent Care Center
The Palo Alto Medical Foundation’s (PAMF’s) Fremont Center now offers extended weekday hours and weekend hours for patients with urgent (non-life-threatening) medical problems. Some examples of conditions that can be treated at urgent care include: coughs and colds, accidents and falls, breathing difficulties, abdominal pain, nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, cuts that may need stitches, and fever.
The Urgent Care Center will be open Monday through Friday from 5 to 8 p.m., and Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. During regular business hours, patients are encouraged to call the Fremont Center to determine if their primary care physician can see them that same day. If a medical problem is life-threatening, patients should always call 911 immediately, and care will be provided at the nearest emergency room (ER).
“We are pleased to be able to extend services provided to our patients during weekdays and Saturday mornings into weekday evenings, throughout the weekend, and on holidays” said Andy Chang, M.D., head of PAMF’s Fremont Urgent Care Center.
At the Urgent Care Center, patients are assessed shortly after their arrival. Generally, all Urgent Care Center patients are seen in order of their arrival time. However, patients with more severe conditions may be seen first, despite a later arrival time. Medical treatments such as breathing treatments, intravenous fluids, and injections may be provided in the Urgent Care Center.
“A visit to the ER without an actual emergency can be costly and inefficient, and may result in long waits,” said Dr. Chang. “We believe our urgent care center will be a convenient way for patients to have their urgent, but not life-threatening medical conditions addressed in a timely and convenient manner.”
For more information on the Fremont Center’s Urgent Care Center, call (510) 490-1222 or visit www.pamf.org/urgentcare/fremont.cfm. PAMF’s Fremont Center is located at 3200 Kearney Street. Urgent care services will be provided in Building Two on the first level.
The following are examples of common medical conditions that are treatable at most urgent care centers and those best managed at an ER.
Urgent Conditions:
Abdominal pain
Accidents and falls
Asthma attacks
Breathing difficulties
Broken bones
Coughs and colds
Diarrhea
Ear infections
Fevers
Headaches
Minor cuts or lacerations that may need stitches
Nausea/vomiting
Rashes
Sprains or strains
Upper or lower respiratory conditions
Emergency Conditions:
Broken bones with severe deformities
Chest pain
Major bleeding
Motor vehicle accidents
Severe abdominal pain
Stroke
Sudden, unexplained loss of consciousness
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