Medical Professionals: Go to the ED Only for Emergencies

Pat Callaway knows people are scared.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, people are coming to the emergency department at Methodist Fremont Health, and the hospital doesn’t turn them away.

But Callaway and other medical professionals are asking people to go to the ED only if they’re having an emergency.

“We are averaging probably 12 patients a day who come in for testing or that would require testing. Three or four of them may get admitted to the hospital — so there are definitely people who need to come and be treated and evaluated,” said Callaway, director of emergency and outpatient services.

But others are having no symptoms or minimal ones. Or they want to be tested because they might have been exposed. Or they need testing because they’re returning to work.

If this is the case, medical professionals are encouraging people — depending on their situation — to seek help via their primary care physicians, TestNebraska or urgent care clinics.

Fremont Tribune: Medical professionals remind patients to go to the ED only for emergencies