The holiday season is a bustling time for urgent care centers, with patients seeking quick relief for illnesses, injuries, and other pressing health concerns. From minor illness to accidents caused by icy conditions and festive decorations, the range of cases keeps providers busy. In this Q&A, Dr. Jonathan Schwartzman, Medical Director of Pardee Urgent Care, shares insights into the most common reasons for urgent care visits during the holidays, tips for staying healthy, and how urgent care supports families during this festive yet demanding time.
What are the most common reasons patients visit urgent care during the holiday season?
Illness is often a significant concern as the holidays approach. Patients don’t want to be sick during this time, nor overlook their health issue before attending festivities. When flu season is in full swing, this type of contagious illness keeps our clinics particularly busy.
Most injuries during this time are due to slips and falls, injuries sustained while hanging lights outside (see Clark Griswold in the movie Christmas Vacation), recreational injuries from skiing, etc. In general, if the injured area has significant pain, swelling and/or bruising, looks deformed or out of place, and does not improve with ice, rest, and over-the-counter medicine, a provider should likely evaluate them.
What tips can you share for avoiding holiday food-related illnesses? When should someone visit urgent care for symptoms of food poisoning?
Practicing good hand hygiene, ensuring food is stored properly and within its expiration date, and setting realistic expectations for how long leftovers will help prevent food-related illnesses.
Food-related illnesses occur year-around and I recommend patients start with staying hydrated, resting, and over-the-counter medicines for the first two-three days, as most food-related illnesses are self-limited. Should someone have abdominal pain, frequent cramps, blood in their stool, persistent vomiting, fever, or dehydration, I recommend they visit urgent care.
What do you recommend for families to avoid illnesses during the holidays?
If you are not feeling well due to illness, we advise limiting your exposure to others until you are feeling better and have had no fever for 24 hours. I understand this can be difficult during times when family comes together to celebrate the season, however, infections such as flu spread rapidly when several people gather indoors during winter.
How can urgent care support families, friends, and travelers visiting the area for the holidays?
We are happy to help both local and travelling patients with their minor urgent medical needs, which sometimes include items such as medication refills or mild allergic reactions. The most efficient way to be seen in our clinics during the busy times of year is to make an online reservation at PardeeUrgentCare.com.
What is your background and what led you to pursue a career in urgent care medicine?
I became board-certified in Family Medicine in 2007, however, during my residency I moonlighted a significant amount in urgent care. I enjoyed the rapid pace, unpredictability, wide variety of patients, and varying diagnostic needs.
Following one year of working in a family medicine clinic treating chronic diseases, I decided that my main interest was urgent care and switched to this area of medicine instead. While I miss the rapport built through being a patient’s primary care provider, we frequently see the same patients coming through our doors throughout the years.
