Urgent Care Clinics

Emergency or Urgent Care?

When to Go to an Emergency Department

Call 911 or go to an Emergency Department (ED) if your child has a serious or life-threatening illness or injury, or signs of a mental or behavioral health emergency. See table below to help you figure out where to go for care.

Seattle Children’s ED is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. No appointment is needed. Call your child’s doctor to ask about follow-up care after their ED visit. 

Signs of a mental or behavioral health emergency include:

  • Your child is at immediate risk for harm due to suicidal thoughts or feelings, or requires emergency medical care due to self-harm or a suicide attempt
  • Your child is at immediate risk of harming others
  • Your child cannot take part in safety planning to avoid self-harm
  • Your child has lost the ability to care for themselves or do the basic tasks needed to keep themselves clean or healthy
  • You are concerned you cannot keep your child safe until their appointment

When to Go to an Urgent Care

You can go to an urgent care when your child has an illness or injury that is not a medical emergency or life-threatening, and you cannot get into your primary care provider. A referral is not required.

Seattle Children’s currently has 2 urgent care options:

Where to Go For Care

If you’re not sure where to bring your child, use our guide below. 

The symptoms marked with an * can be seen through Virtual Urgent Care.

Call 911 or go to an ED if your child has a serious or life-threatening illness or injury, or signs of a mental or behavioral health emergency.

ILLNESS/INJURY WHERE TO GO
Allergies Urgent Care*
Asthma attack (minor) Urgent Care
Asthma attack (severe) Emergency Department
Bite (animal, human, insect) Urgent Care*
Bleeding that won’t stop Emergency Department
Breathing difficulty Emergency Department
Broken bone (bent, curved or looks deformed) Emergency Department
Broken bone (not bent) Urgent Care
Burn (minor) Urgent Care
Burn (severe) Emergency Department
Cast problems Emergency Department
Cold symptoms, congestion   Urgent Care*
Constipation Urgent Care*
Cough   Urgent Care*
Cut (minor) Urgent Care
Cut (severe) Urgent Care
Diarrhea   Urgent Care*
Ear pain Urgent Care
Eye infection Urgent Care*
Fever (infants less than 2 months old) Emergency Department
Fever (children over 2 months old) Urgent Care
Headache   Urgent Care
Head injury (no loss of consciousness) Urgent Care*
Head injury (with loss of consciousness or from extreme impact) Emergency Department
Injury advice for bones and joints Urgent Care*
Mental or behavioral health concerns Emergency Department or Psychiatric Urgent Care
Migraine headache   Emergency Department
Nausea/vomiting Urgent Care*
Poisoning

Call Poison Control right away if you suspect a poisoning: 800-222-1222.
Emergency Department
Rash Urgent Care*
Seizure Emergency Department
Shock Emergency Department
Sore throat Urgent Care*
Sprain or strain Urgent Care
Stomach pain (mild) Urgent Care
Stomach pain (severe) Emergency Department
Swallowed object Emergency Department
Ultrasound, CT scans or MRI studies Emergency Department
Urinary complaints Urgent Care*