Illness is never convenient, but when sickness strikes after the doctors’ offices and medical centers are closed, moms and caregivers often feel the stress tenfold.

This campaign is brought to you by Dear Stark Women (Stark County Health Dept.).

 Understanding the ins and outs of after-hours care will help you make decisions about your health or your child’s health when there’s a medical emergency after business hours.

Forms of After-Hours Care

– In-person clinics. Some offices have extended-hours care. Other medical centers, like urgent care or the emergency room, are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

– Telehealth Appointments. During the height of COVID, many doctors’ offices implemented a telehealth option for patients and their caregivers. Tele-appointments are sometimes available beyond normal business hours or on the weekends.

– Portal Q&A. While not an in-person service, portal Q&A systems make it easy for patients to ask questions or schedule appointments with licensed nurses, nurse practitioners, and doctors at their preferred medical office. This service is useful for post-appointment care when questions arise at home.

When Should I Seek Care?

Follow your intuition; you know your body and your family members’ behavior best. If any of the following issues occur, you should reach out to a medical professional as soon as possible:

• UTI, flu, and strep testing
• Possible broken bones
• Sports injuries or bumps
• Burns and rashes
• Chest pains, aches, etc.
• Thoughts of self-harm or suicide
• Headaches or fever lasting more than a few days

You can find resources for after-hours care on the Dear Stark Women website.

Dear Stark Women is a one-stop landing page to help families find and get connected to local resources.  The goal of the landing page is to increase awareness of and access to needed resources for after-hours care, affordable care, reproductive care, healthy relationships, mental health, transportation, and more. For more information, visit https://dear-stark-women-starkcohealthoh.hub.arcgis.com.

Audrey Mattevi, Reporting