Happy Thanksgiving! Now Please Pass the Salmonella

Joyous (or even politically charged) family get-togethers are a holiday tradition for most Americans. Some holidays are also occasions for more inherent risk than others, however, with Thanksgiving near the top of the list of the most potentially dangerous. Whether it’s Uncle Ned trying out his new electric carving knife after one too many cocktails or an undercooked turkey carrying Salmonella—something the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns about annually—people in your community are going to wind up with an injury or illness that requires immediate attention. In fact, the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission reports that around 37,000 people wind up on the emergency room due to Thanksgiving-related mishaps. This means two things for you: 1) You should prepare your urgent care locations and staff for patients presenting with these and other concerns (including slip-and-fall injuries, given the weather forecast or some states), and 2) You need to let your patients and prospective patients know when you’re open and able to treat them. FLH Medical and Urgent Care in upstate New York got ahead of the latter point by putting out a press release stating that two of their locations will be open from 9 am to 3 pm on Thanksgiving Day—also slipping in that their normal hours are 8 am to 8 pm, 7 days a week, and detailing what types of complaints they’re prepared to address. Letting people know where and when to find you helps them and you. By now it’s too late to get a press release into the local paper, but consider updating your website and social media to reflect your holiday status.