UNC has a great new service and I have heard very short waits. It is for acute orthopedic injuries, strains, breaks, etc.
UNC Orthopaedics Prompt Care
Considering an emergency room visit? Orthopaedic injuries are common, painful, and don't always occur during regular business hours. Our facility at the Ambulatory Care Center is available on a walk-in basis for emergency orthopaedic injuries (sprains, broken bones, torn muscles, etc.). UNC Prompt Care is staffed with doctors and nurse practitioners so we can provide the same excellent level of expertise UNC Orthopaedics brings to all its patients.
Our expanded hours of operation ensure that our orthopaedic specialists are available when you need them:
Monday - Thursday: 8:00am - 9:00 pm
Friday: 8:00am - 5:00 pm
Saturday: 9:00am - 3:00 pm
919.843.4711
Located at the Ambulatory Care Center, 101 Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC
Prompt Care patients will see one of these providers:
Michelle Barnett, NP
Tom Bush, NP
Donald K. Bynum, MD
R. Alexander Creighton, MD
Douglas R. Dirschl, MD
Stephen N. Lang, MD (Director)
Moe R. Lim, MD
Sameer Mathur, MD
Selene G. Parekh, MD
Patients should consider Prompt Care for any acute orthopaedic injury or condition for which they would consider going to an urgent care, an orthopaedist's office or an emergency department. The condition could
involve the joints, back or extremities, including sprains, strains and any injury to the arms or legs. As a walk-in facility, however, Prompt Care is intended only for people who can be transported by regular automobile, NOT by ambulance, stretcher, etc.
http://www.med.unc.edu/ortho/patientinfo/promptcare.htmlit won't help if you hurt yourself after 3 PM on a sat or on a sunday, but can help at other times as noted above. I know a couple people who have gone and been very satisfied.
We need to relieve the ER of non-serious problems, so they can help the seriously ill people. My FIL was diagnosed with pneumonia at his PCP office, taken to the ER by ambaulce b/c he was so sick. They knew they would be admitting him and yet it still took 9 hours!! Part of the time was waiting for a room. They have a new unit that opened the end of May where they send ER patients who are waiting for a room to be admitted to. You stay on a stretcher, don't get in a a "real bed", but you are at least on a quiet unit. Of course, my FIL was again admitted a couple weeks later and spent 2 days on this "holding unit".
