COVINGTON, Ga. – Navigating the healthcare options available to you shouldn’t be a confusing process, whether you’re in the middle of an emergency, trying to prevent the onset of the flu, or just want to know what specific virus you’ve caught this time—these offices are available to offer you support; sometimes, it’s just a matter of knowing what kind of support they’re each designed to provide and how they can overlap.

To start, Emergency Rooms are equipped to handle more severe medical cases. This encompasses life-threatening, limb-threatening, or potentially life-altering events, such as convulsions, seizures, loss of consciousness, pregnancy-related problems, and signs of a heart attack or stroke. Serious burns, dehydration, trouble breathing, fainting, or a high fever in children under two months of age should also be treated at the ER.

For non-emergent situations, Urgent Care centers, like Piedmont Urgent Care locations, are ideal for treating the more common kinds of ailments—things that pop up at inconvenient times, making treatment time-sensitive but not necessarily life-threatening—such as colds, sinus infections, sore throats, sprains, strains, minor lacerations, or earaches. Urgent Care centers are also your go-to stops for digital X-rays, testing and some vaccinations. Essentially, if you think you have COVID, actually have COVID and the situation is non-emergent—Urgent Care is your friend.

You can also have non-severe ailments—everything that can be treated at an Urgent Care, except for strains and broken bones—treated at Piedmont QuickCare centers.

“People often go to the emergency room for treatment of non-emergent issues, such as pink eye, congestion, or ear pain, not realizing there are faster and less expensive options like primary care locations, Piedmont Urgent Care clinics, and even virtual visits,” said Brian S. Bobb, M.D., WellStreet’s Senior Medical Director.

It’s also important to remember that you’ll never be turned away from a Piedmont emergency room—our hospitals are required by law to provide you with a medical screening and stabilizing treatment, and we do take into account the instances where, in the heat of the moment, it can be hard to tell whether an illness or injury is life-threatening or not, especially after a major, world-wide health crisis.

“Our goal is to educate our patients, making it easier for them to take charge of their health by offering quick and convenient access to care,” adds Dr. Bobb.

There is an urgent care location in Covington and another in Conyers. Patients can walk in, book ahead of time, or schedule a virtual visit. In the event you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency, please remember to call 9-1-1 or proceed to your nearest Emergency Room. For more information and an in-depth FAQ, please click here.