Emergency Departments prep for surge of summer guests to Northern Michigan.
As a nationally recognized tourist destination, Northern Michigan’s population can increase as much as 75 percent with the arrival of summer guests and Munson Healthcare is preparing for a comparable increase in demand on healthcare services, especially emergency departments.
“The patient volume we see during the summer is about 30 percent higher than what we see during the winter in Traverse City,” said Joe Santangelo, MD, Munson Healthcare Chief Medical, Quality, and Safety Officer. “As population peaks with nearly 500,000 people visiting our community the week of Cherry Festival, providing healthcare in Grand Traverse County can start to look a lot more like Grand Rapids.”
Because emergency rooms are open 24/7 they often become a “go-to” for people seeking any type of medical care but are designed to prioritize severely ill patients that require emergent medical, surgical, or psychiatric care. Each patient coming to any Munson Healthcare Emergency Department is triaged on arrival, and the healthcare team prioritizes patients with life threatening conditions first.
“Over the last three years, we’ve seen an upward trend in the number of patients that need immediate care, and they always go to the front of the line in an emergency department,” said Santangelo. “If you come to a Munson Healthcare Emergency Department, we will care for you, but it’s important to know about other options that are just as appropriate and often more convenient.”
With summer fun in the sun unfortunately comes higher risk for injury from bee stings to dehydration to watersport accidents. Munson Healthcare is reminding Northern Michigan residents of the diverse options available for care:
Ask-A-Nurse: Munson Healthcare’s free Ask-A-Nurse line is staffed by Registered Nurses who can offer direction on the best place to seek care based on their symptoms. This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days per week at 231-935-0951. Since launching in 2020, Ask-A-Nurse has completed more than 206,000 calls.
Primary Care: For local residents with non-life-threatening concerns, a primary care provider should be the first stop. Many provider offices now offer same-day appointments and on-call services, as well as weekend and virtual appointments. Contact your local provider for availability.
Virtual Urgent Care: Virtual Urgent Care is most appropriate for things such as abrasions, allergies, cold, cough, diarrhea, flu, insect bites, sore throat, sprains and strains, sinus infections, and more. To find out if virtual urgent care is an option, call 231-935-4995 or visit: munsonhealthcare.org/virtualurgentcare. Since launching this service one year ago, Munson Virtual Urgent Care has received nearly 7,000 patient visits.
In-Person Urgent Care: For those visiting the region or residents whose primary care provider is unavailable, urgent care, or walk-in clinics can treat:
- Allergic reactions
- Asthma symptoms that are not responding to medicine
- Cuts that do not involve much blood but need stitches
- Earaches, fevers, moderate-to-severe sore throats and cough
- Minor fractures sprains, strains, and more.
Emergency Department: Any time a life-threatening condition exists, that may require medical, surgical, or psychiatric care, people should immediately call 9-1-1. Among the many conditions that merit emergency room care:
- Chest or left arm pain
- Shortness of breath
- Stroke symptoms such as slurred speech, double vision, or weakness on one side of the body
- Coughing or vomiting blood
- Loss of consciousness
- Traumatic injuries
- Severe burns
- Severe pain
- Seizures
Santangelo emphasized that anyone suffering a heart attack, stroke, or traumatic injury should call 911 and seek Emergency Care immediately.
In less severe and urgent cases, people can find the timely, convenient healthcare services they need their primary doctor’s practice or virtual visits, in-person urgent care, or virtual urgent care.
“Whatever your health concern, we are committed to ensuring you receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time so you can get back to enjoying the Northern Michigan summer as soon as possible,” added Santangelo.
For more information visit: munsonhealthcare.org/findcare.