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pediatric Orthopedic Injury Urgent Care

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Seattle Children’s opens orthopedic injury urgent care

New clinic will take on sprains, strains and simple breaks

So your child was tripped on the soccer field. You and her coach feel pretty confident she’s sprained or possibly even broken her ankle. Do you race off to the emergency roomā€”and its hours-long waitā€” to get the injury assessed and treated?Ā 

The answer is, it depends. If you think the possible break (or any injury to a child) is life-threatening, or if the break is bent or curved, the best thing to do is call 911 or take the child immediately to the nearest ER.Ā 

But if your child is breathing regularly, doesn’t appear to be in imminent danger beyond her discomfort, and can be transported, Seattle Children’s Hospital has a new optionā€”the Orthopedic Injury Urgent Care clinic located in the Ocean 6 zone ofĀ  the hospital’s campus.Ā 

“Seattle Childrenā€™s Orthopedic Injury Urgent Care is the first pediatric-focused orthopedic urgent care in Washington state,” says Dr. Burt Yaszay, Chief of the Division of Orthopedics and Sports Medicine at Seattle Children’s. “We are excited to provide this service to our community [offering an] accelerated path to specialty care without requiring a referral.” By adding the clinic, the hospital is now able to redirect patients from the its busy ER and Urgent Care Clinic while delivering the medical care kids need.”

The new care setting, which opened earlier this month, was developed to treat children, teens, and young adults with urgent (within the last 48 hours) orthopedic and sports-related injuries that don’t require the emergency room’s higher level of careā€”and cost. It also offers families another bonus:

“There is a time savings for busy families,” says Yaszay. “Patients and families are provided with a definitive care plan in their initial visit and an accelerated path to speciality care.”

What kind of injuries does the clinic serve?Ā 

The new clinic focuses on strains, sprains, and broken bones that are not curved, bent, or protruding from the skin. Providers there offer orthopedic assessments and treatment, X-ray, casting, and bracing services to patients from birth to age 21. Depending on the injury, the clinic may also facilitate CT or MRI scans. Ā 

Rather than sitting for hours in the ER, parents can make in-person appointments at the new clinic on the same day a child is injured. Walk-ins are welcome, but clinic officials recommend schedule\ing an in-person visit onlineĀ to ensure your spot.

Which injuries are not a fit for Orthopedic Injury Urgent Care?

For most other injuries or medical concerns, your child’s primary care provider or, in life-threatening situations, emergency room providers are still your best bet. The new orthopedic clinic can not provide care for things like chronic pain, concussion, nailbed injuries, open wounds near a possible broken bone, or severe broken bones. Check out Seattle Children’s Where to Go for Care page online to ascertain which care setting is best for your child.

The details

Seattle Children’s Orthopedic Injury Urgent Care is locaed in the Ocean zone 6 area of the hospital’s campus at 4800 Sand Point Way NE in Seattle. It is openĀ Monday through Friday from 5 to 9 p.m. It is closed on major holidays.

The last walk-in visit is at 8 p.m.

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About the Author

Cheryl Murfin

Cheryl Murfin is managing editor at Seattle's Child. She is also a certified doula, lactation educator for NestingInstinctsSeattle.com and a certified AWA writing workshop facilitator at Compasswriters.com.