ED and Urgent Care Still Safe
The Emergency Department at the Baltimore VA Medical Center is ready to serve Veterans experiencing life-threatening medical conditions.
The VA Maryland Health Care System is still here to serve Veterans, just in modified ways, and the Emergency Department at the Baltimore VA Medical Center and the Urgent Care Clinic at the Perry Point VA Medical Center are safe and still the best ways to receive services for urgent health care needs, even during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It is critical that Veterans do not delay getting the critical emergency care they need,” says Dr. Jon Mark Hirshon, Interim Chief, Emergency Medicine, at the Baltimore VA Medical Center. We have implemented numerous changes to ensure the safety of all patients coming to the Emergency Department or the Urgent Care Clinic, including screening before entering the facility, changes to the triage and waiting room areas, requiring universal masking of staff and outpatients, and increasing cleaning and social distancing. The Emergency Department and Urgent Care Clinic are part of an important safety net for Veterans and are ready and able to provide safe, quality and compassionate care during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Know the difference between urgent care and emergency care.
Urgent Care: Illnesses and injuries that require immediate attention but are not life-threatening, such as minor burns, sprains, eye infection/irritations, and skin infections.
Emergency Care: An injury, illness or symptom so severe that without immediate treatment, you believe your life or health is in danger, i.e. sever chest pain, stroke symptoms, uncontrollable bleeding, etc. If you believe your life or health is in danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department right away.
