The Difference Between Using An Urgent Care Or ER In Amarillo, Texas

Over the weekend I found myself searching all over Amarillo for a 24-hour urgent care. A family member was injured, and it was a pretty serious situation. Luckily, there was an urgent care a few blocks from where we were. Unlucky for us, it was closed. This is when I found out that not all "urgent cares" are created equal.

Why Do "Urgent Care" Centers Close At 8 PM?

The first place we stopped at was an urgent care center. These places are primarily for smaller issues. If you need to take care of something outside of your physician's office hours, or you do not want to sit in an ER lobby for an hour and a half, they're a pretty convenient option. Unfortunately, I found out that a lot of them close at 8 PM.

The issue we were having a massive cut that was going to require a lot of stitches. Waiting until the morning wasn't going to cut it; no pun intended. This is when we discovered the standalone ER facilities.

Amarillo Has Several 24 Hour Emergency Room Facilities

We jumped on Google and after doing a quick search found a nearby emergency room facility that was open 24 hours. I noticed a few differences between this facility and the "urgent cares" I had been to before.

One, and it's the biggest duh moment I've had recently, it's a freaking emergency room. It's like walking into the ER at your hospital of choice but without the insane wait times.

Two, the care was really quick and the staff was incredibly kind. Across the board, everyone at Northwest Emergency on Georgia was attentive and very kind. When we left, we couldn't believe how nicely we had been treated.

Third, they were open. This was the biggest lesson I learned. If you're at a facility at 10 PM, it's an emergency room.

24-Hour Emergency Rooms In Amarillo, Texas

There are more of these 24-hour facilities in Amarillo than I imagined I could find. The good news is

• Northwest Emergency on Georgia
• The ER On Soncy
• Exceptional Emergency Center on Coulter
• Northwest Emergency at Townsquare

Urgent care facilities are great, but if it's late at night, and you don't want to go all the way across town to the hospital district, then these facilities are some you'll want to keep in the back of your mind.