Let me clarify. By no means am I suggesting that someone who is experiencing a true medical emergency deny themselves proper treatment. Rather, it is important that we stop and think before immediately calling for a 911 ambulance, especially if it is something that could be treated in a more appropriate setting.

So, where do you go to get appropriate care? What conditions warrant transportation by ambulance to an emergency room? When could you drive to the ER? Should you call or visit your private doctor or go to an urgent care facility?

Calling for an ambulance

You should call for an ambulance when you are suffering or witnessing a life-threatening emergency. We can treat the patient and transport to the closest appropriate facility. Life-threatening emergencies may include yet are not limited to:

•An unconscious person

•Suspected heart attack or chest pain

•Difficulty breathing or choking

•Severe bleeding

•Serious burns

•Seizures

•Gun shot or stabbing

•Extreme abdominal pain

•Suspected stroke

•Altered mental status

•Diabetic emergencies

•Suicide attempt

•Drug overdose or poisoning

•Trauma, serious injury or pain

•Near drowning or electrical shock

•Anaphylaxis

•Imminent childbirth

•Any emergency in which you are unable to safely get to hospital on your own

Emergency rooms:

•Treat severe and life-threatening condition

•Can facilitate hospital admission

•Hospital emergency rooms have specially trained doctors and staff that can recognize, diagnose and make recommendations on a wide variety of medical issues

•Emergency rooms are open 24-hours-a-day, seven days a week

If you are not suffering a life-threatening emergency and chose to go to and ER you should consider other modes of transportation than an ambulance if you have the capabilities to do so.