Manitoba Health
How to get the care you need when you need it
What
to do in a health emergency
For most communities, the fastest way to get emergency help is to call 911. For communities without 911 service, the front of your phone directory lists emergency numbers.
When to go to a hospital emergency room (ER)
It isn’t always easy to decide whether you should visit a hospital’s emergency room (ER). If you think you may need to go to an ER, but aren’t sure, call Health Links-Info Santé at 788-8200 in Winnipeg or toll-free 1-888-315-9257. A registered nurse will help you decide.
Is it an emergency, urgent or not urgent?
When you arrive at an ER, a nurse speaks with you and decide the urgency and level of care you need. Your condition may be:
- An Emergency – Heart attack, major trauma, severe head injury, amputation, severe difficulty breathing (due to an allergic reaction or other cause), unconsciousness, severe bleeding
- Urgent – Head injury but still awake, deep cut, foreign object in the eyes or ears, high fever in an infant or toddler, chest pain not related to a known heart problem, signs of serious infection
- Less Urgent – Possible fracture/sprains, back pain, skin/wound infections, headaches (migraines)
- Not Urgent – Colds, minor cuts, bites, sore throats, sinus problems
How long you wait has nothing to do with when you arrive. Arriving by ambulance may not mean you will be seen sooner than other patients. Patients with the most urgent needs are seen first.
Your wait depends on:
- how urgently you need care
- how urgently others in the ER need care
- how busy the ER is
Answering your health questions 24/7
Contact Health Links-Info Santé for answers to questions about common health concerns.
This telephone health information service is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week by knowledgeable, experienced nurses and is free of charge everywhere in Manitoba. In addition to getting answers to your questions, you can ask for advice and obtain help finding health care resources in your community. The nurses at Health Links-Info Santé are experienced professionals qualified to provide information on a wide range of health topics.
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