Should I Take My Child to the ER?

Urgent care is not a substitute for emergency care. Serious or life-threatening problems should be handled in the emergency room. If your child experiences any of the following symptoms, don't wait! Call 911 or get to your nearest hospital ER.

  • Loss of consciousness
  • Severe abdominal pain
  • Difficulty breathing/shortness of breath
  • Fever with stiff neck, dark rash, inconsolable crying or difficulty waking up
  • Deep cuts or bleeding that won't stop
  • Coughing up or vomiting blood
  • Severe burns
  • Seizures
  • Allergic reaction with difficulty breathing, loss of consciousness, or swelling of the tongue, lips or airway
  • Vomiting, blurred vision, severe headache, loss of motor skills or bleeding from the nose/ears following a fall or head injury
  • Signs of shock: chills, blue lips or fingernails, severe pain, dizziness or rapid breathing
  • Objects impaled in the body
  • Severe bites (animal or human)
  • Heat stroke, frostbite, hypothermia

For poisoning, call your local poison control center.