BEAUFORT, S.C. — Beaufort Memorial is reminding residents how to pick the right door for same-day care, so minor problems do not clog trauma bays and serious symptoms are not delayed at a walk-in clinic.
Family nurse practitioner Tammy Page, who works with Beaufort Memorial Express Care and Occupational Health, said emergency departments are built for heart-related chest discomfort, trouble breathing, threats to life or a limb, and testing that goes beyond basic imaging. Walk-in clinics can cover simpler X-rays, she said, while CT-level scans and ultrasound work still belong in the hospital emergency setting.
Page also flagged fainting spells and head impacts after a fall as cases that should not wait for a routine appointment. Those patients need a full emergency evaluation. For many lesser illnesses and injuries — including a possible urinary infection when a primary-care slot is not open — Express Care can treat people on site and send them on if the picture worsens.
Hospital materials note that Express Care sites run every day of the week for lesser illnesses and injuries, and clinicians can move a patient into emergency care when needed. Beaufort Memorial Hospital is listed among the county’s largest employers and anchors healthcare access for neighborhoods along the Battery Creek corridor.
A simple screen helps: if breathing, alertness or major bleeding is at risk, go to emergency care first; use Express Care for problems that still need same-day attention but are not life-threatening.
