As summer returns and the hotels, shops, restaurants and beaches around Traverse City get busier, the same can also be said of Munson Medical Center.
A Networks Northwest study of 10 counties in the northwestern Lower Peninsula found the population rises by 78 percent during the summer. This includes increases of 47 percent in Grand Traverse County, 126 percent in Leelanau County, and 98 percent in Kalkaska. In 2022, the Emergency Department at MMC saw a 42 percent increase during the summer compared to winter months.
Over the past year, we’ve seen our community make a return similar to what it was prior to the pandemic. The arrival of part-time residents coupled with events like the National Cherry Festival and our region’s reputation as a top vacation spot will attract visitors from across the country and create greater demand for healthcare services in the coming months.
It is our goal to provide the right care, in the right place, at the right time. We are fortunate in our community to have access to many different options for medical care depending on a patent’s needs. It’s important to understand those options to ensure the most appropriate and convenient care while making the most efficient use of our community’s resources which includes primary care, urgent care, virtual visits, virtual urgent care and the emergency department.
When a life-threatening situation occurs that requires medical, surgical, or psychiatric care, people should always seek emergency care. If you experience symptoms like chest or left arm pain, shortness of breath, loss of consciousness, stroke symptoms such as slurred speech, double vision, or weakness on one side of the body, traumatic injuries, or a seizure, call 911 immediately. Paramedics offer important assessments, pre-hospital care, and communication to ensure appropriate resources are ready.
Emergency departments are available around the clock and intended to prioritize care to life-threatening conditions. Many of the other patients we see in our waiting rooms with less urgent needs could also receive the care they need in a different setting.
Your primary care provider is a good first option for rashes, back pain, coughs, allergic reactions, minor wound care, and other non-emergent issues. After all, someone who is familiar with your medical history is the best option and can offer a referral to a specialist if needed. Many providers offer same-day appointments, on-call weekend hours, and virtual visits. Learn more about primary care at munsonhealthcare.org/find-a-doctor.
Of course, a primary care provider may not always be available in which case urgent care, walk-in clinics, and virtual urgent care are an option.
Urgent care is available in Traverse City at Foster Family Community Health Center on Munson Avenue with a second location on U.S. 31. Urgent care can help with asthma symptoms that are not responding to medicine, cuts that do not involve much blood but need stitches, earaches, fevers, minor fractures, moderate to severe sore throats and cough, sprains, strains, and much more.
A full list of Munson Healthcare urgent care facilities is available on our website at munsonhealthcare.org/urgent care.
If you have a reliable internet connection, Virtual Urgent Care (available 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.) may also be an option, as has been the case for 3,300 patients since the launch last summer. This resource can help those suffering an abrasion, allergies, cold, cough, diarrhea, flu, insect bites, sore throat, sprains and strains, sinus infections and others.
If you are unsure of which option might be best for you, Ask-A-Nurse. This free service that has received over 81,000 calls in three years, is staffed by registered nurses who can help answer your general health questions and point you in the right direction. The Ask-A-Nurse hotline is available daily from 7 a.m. – 11 p.m. at 231-935-0951.
We hope you have a safe, happy and healthy summer in northern Michigan but if the unexpected arises, please know we are here for you with many options to provide quality, timely care to meet your needs.