When choosing between emergency care and urgent care when your doctor is unavailable, ask yourself: Is this injury or illness life-threatening or life-altering? If the answer is yes, go immediately to the emergency room. If the answer is no, call the 24-hour Nurse Advice Line or go to the closest urgent care facility. Knowing the right place to go for medical care can save time, reduce stress, and ensure you receive the appropriate treatment. When in doubt, the Nurse Advice Line is an excellent starting point for advice and direction.
For CCHP & Balance members:
24-HOUR NURSE ADVICE LINE
If you need advice and your physician is not available, you can call the CCHP Nurse Advice Line at 1-888-243-8310 available 24 hours a day, seven days a week—including weekends and holidays. A nurse will call you back within 30 minutes if you leave a voicemail. Your call will be answered by a registered nurse who is fluent in both English and Cantonese. For other languages, an interpreter service will be used. Our nurses will help answer your health questions and advise on whether you should go to urgent care or the emergency room or if you can wait to make an appointment with your doctor.
URGENT CARE
If you are unable to reach your doctor during after hours, on a weekend or a holiday, please consider going to a nearby Urgent Care Center for symptoms such as:
- Flu
- Common cold
- Cough
- Sore throat
- Fever
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Abdominal pain
- Minor burns, cuts & abrasions
- Simple broken bones
During normal office hours, please call your doctor for an appointment if you are experiencing these symptoms. No appointment or prior authorization is necessary.
EMERGENCY
If you consider your condition an emergency:
- Chest pain
- Head injury
- Shortness of breath
- Stroke
- Unconsciousness
- And other conditions your doctor has discussed with you
Go to the emergency room at Chinese Hospital or the nearest emergency room. In an emergency, you may call 9-1-1 or call directly to the dispatcher at AMR ambulance at 1-800-913-9197; or King-American ambulance 1-415-931-1400. You can also tell the ambulance driver to take you to Chinese Hospital emergency room where you are more comfortable.