Urgent care serves as a bridge between your child's primary care doctor and the emergency room. It is the best place to go when your child needs to be examined and you cannot get an appointment with your primary care doctor. Urgent care centers treat many common childhood conditions such as sore throat, fever or sprain.
The doctors and nurses who staff the urgent care centers of IU Health treat children age 3 months old and up. In some cases, they may also be able to provide care for younger babies.
Our urgent care doctors treat a variety of conditions, including:
- Abrasions
- Colds
- Ear infections
- First aid (splinting) for fractures
- Influenza
- Lacerations
- Pneumonia
- Sprains and strains
- Strep throat
If you are unsure where to take your child, first call your child’s pediatrician. If you are still not sure where to take your child after talking with his or her doctor, call the nearest IU Health urgent care center. Ask to talk to a doctor or nurse. You will receive guidance about the best place to take your child for the care he or she needs.
Children with acute emergencies such as severe dehydration, severe abdominal pain and open fractures should be taken to the nearest emergency room.
When you bring your child to one of our urgent care centers, it is our goal to treat the condition and send him or her home in comfort. If needed, we will help you schedule a follow-up appointment with your child’s primary care doctor.
Our urgent care centers also provide routine services such as flu and tetanus shots, X-rays and sports physicals.
We operate with extended hours, typically from 8 am to 8 pm on weekdays and 8 am to 6 pm on weekends. Some of our urgent care centers also remain open on holidays.
What to Expect
What to Expect
When you visit an IU Health urgent care center, a receptionist will greet you.
If your child is a new patient to the urgent care center, the staff will enter all of your contact and health insurance information into the electronic medical record system.
After a short wait in the reception area, you and your child will be called back to an examination room.
Every IU Health urgent care center is staffed by a full-time, board certified family physician, a nurse and a radiology technician. Physician assistants and nurse practitioners may also see patients if a second care provider is needed.
Key Points to Remember
Key Points to Remember
- The urgent care centers of IU Health treat patients age 3 months old and up.
- Urgent care doctors and nurses are equipped to treat many common childhood illnesses, such as colds, the flu, strep throat and ear infections.
- If you are unsure if an urgent care center can treat your child, call the facility nearest to you and speak to a doctor or nurse on staff.
- Children with acute emergencies such as severe dehydration, severe abdominal pain and open fractures should be taken to the nearest emergency room.