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Falls with injury or while taking
blood-thinning medications
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Head and eye injuries or loss
of vision
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Broken bones or dislocated joints
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Deep cuts that require stitches
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Head or eye injuries
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High fevers (over 102°) or fevers
with a rash
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Vaginal bleeding with pregnancy
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Serious burns
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Seizures without a previous
diagnosis of epilepsy
If you’re ever in doubt, it’s better
to be safe and go to the emergency
department.
911 CALL
Call 911 for any emergency that
requires immediate assistance from
an ambulance (or the police or fire
department).
It is appropriate to call 911 when
you have a medical emergency
such as an injury from a car crash,
or a situation in which someone
is unconscious, gasping for air or
not breathing, experiencing an
allergic reaction, having chest pain,
having uncontrollable bleeding, or
any other symptoms that require
immediate medical attention. For
certain medical emergencies, such
as a heart attack or stroke, taking
an ambulance is safer because
paramedics can deliver lifesaving
care on the way to the hospital.
If you’re not sure whether the
situation is a true emergency,
officials recommend calling 911
and letting the call-taker determine
whether you need emergency help.
When you call 911, be prepared
to give your location and detailed
information on the situation. Stay
on the line until the call-taker says
it is OK to hang up.
If you dial 911 by mistake, or if a
child in your home dials 911 when
no emergency exists, do not hang
up; instead, simply explain to the
call-taker what happened.
B E P R E P A R E D
F O R M E D I C A L C A R E
Whether you’re going to urgent
care, the emergency department or
your primary care provider’s office,
it’s good to keep a list of all the
medications you take with you. Be
sure it includes dosages and any
over-the-counter medications and
vitamins you take. Your list should
also include your allergies, especially
to medications, and any previous
invasive medical procedures and
surgeries, including the dates they
were done and the name of the
physician or surgeon who treated
you.
C O S T
No health care discussion would
be complete without a few words
on cost. Costs vary based on the
facilities where you receive care.
Equipping and staffing an emer-
gency department to respond to
medical emergencies is more ex-
pensive than operating a physician
office or urgent care. This means
that care received in the emergency
department will cost more than
care received elsewhere.
If you are having a life-threatening
emergency, call 911 or visit the
emergency room as soon as possi-
ble. If you do not need immediate,
emergency care, consider using an
urgent care or your primary care
provider to keep your costs as low
as possible.
F I ND A
primary care
provider:
(208) 625-6767
.
KH . ORG
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