Parents in Pittsburgh now have another option when a child spikes a fever or twists an ankle after the pediatrician’s office has closed for the night. UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh opened a new Express Care location at its main hospital, giving families a same-day alternative to the emergency room for minor illnesses and injuries during evenings and weekends.
The clinic sits on the hospital’s first floor near the main lobby in Lawrenceville and includes nine exam rooms, according to repertoiremag.com. The outlet reports the new space is designed to evaluate and treat children and teens for conditions that do not require the level of care available in the hospital’s Emergency Department.
As TribLIVE reports, the clinic serves children whose regular pediatricians are unavailable and whose conditions don’t warrant a trip to the ER. It’s meant as an alternative to waiting until morning or heading to the emergency room when a child gets sick or hurt after a pediatrician’s office has already closed for the day.
What the Clinic Treats and When It’s Open
The list of conditions covered is long: colds, fever and flu, ear and throat infections, asthma and wheezing, nausea and vomiting, rashes, minor cuts and scrapes, and simple fractures, sprains and strains, per the same report. UPMC’s own Express Care page adds bronchitis, bronchiolitis, pneumonia and other viral illnesses to that list, along with foreign-body removal and evaluation for diarrhea and dehydration, according to chp.edu. The site also notes that pregnancy testing and limited sexually transmitted infection testing are among the services offered…