Knowing Where to Go for Care: The South Bend Clinic Immediate Care Centers

When ill­ness or injury strikes, know­ing where to go for care can make a sig­nif­i­cant dif­fer­ence in your fam­i­ly’s health and well-being. At The South Bend Clin­ic, our Imme­di­ate Care Cen­ters are designed to pro­vide you with the time­ly, expert med­ical atten­tion you need when you need it most. 

Con­di­tions Treat­ed at Imme­di­ate Care Centers 

Our Imme­di­ate Care Cen­ters are equipped to han­dle a wide range of non-life-threat­en­ing con­di­tions that require prompt atten­tion. Some of the com­mon con­di­tions we treat include: 

• Minor Injuries: Sprains, strains, minor frac­tures, bro­ken bones and cuts that may require stitches. 
• Ill­ness­es: Cough, cold, and flu symp­toms, sore throats, ear infec­tions, and sinus infections. 
• Skin Con­di­tions: Rash­es, insect bites, minor burns, and skin infections. 
• Diges­tive Issues: Vom­it­ing, diar­rhea, and mild to mod­er­ate abdom­i­nal pain. 
• Res­pi­ra­to­ry Prob­lems: Asth­ma attacks, bron­chi­tis, and mild breath­ing difficulties. 
• Oth­er Con­di­tions: Uri­nary tract infec­tions, aller­gic reac­tions, and mild dehydration.
• Sports Phys­i­cals: Com­pre­hen­sive eval­u­a­tions to ensure your child is ready and safe to par­tic­i­pate in sports activities.

To sup­port the treat­ment of var­i­ous con­di­tions, SBC Imme­di­ate Care Cen­ters pro­vide on-site test­ing for a range of needs, such as:

• Lab Ser­vices: Blood work, advanced lab ser­vices, and rapid tests for COVID-19, flu, RSV, and strep.
• X‑Rays: Pri­mar­i­ly used for ortho­pe­dic injuries, such as frac­tures or sprains, as well as assess­ing cas­es where chil­dren may have ingest­ed for­eign objects.
• CT Scans: Advanced imag­ing that aids in eval­u­at­ing head injuries, abdom­i­nal pain, and res­pi­ra­to­ry con­cerns, pro­vid­ing a detailed view that sup­ports com­plex diag­noses and ensures pre­cise treat­ment plans.
• Ultra­sound: Used for assess­ing abdom­i­nal pain, includ­ing gall­blad­der issues, kid­ney stones, appen­dici­tis, soft tis­sue injuries, and cer­tain gyne­co­log­i­cal con­cerns. This safe, radi­a­tion-free imag­ing option helps guide accu­rate and time­ly diagnoses.

Note: CT scans, ultra­sounds, and lab test­ing are unavail­able after 5 p.m. on week­days and are not avail­able on weekends

Imme­di­ate Care Cen­ter vs. Emer­gency Room: Where to Go? 

Under­stand­ing the dif­fer­ence between when to go to an Imme­di­ate Care Cen­ter and when to seek help at an Emer­gency Room can save valu­able time and mon­ey and ensure you receive the appro­pri­ate care. Here’s a quick guide: 

Vis­it an Imme­di­ate Care Cen­ter If:

• Your con­di­tion is not life-threatening. 
• You have a minor injury that doesn’t involve severe bleed­ing or bro­ken bones pro­trud­ing through the skin. 
• You have symp­toms of a com­mon ill­ness, like a cold or the flu. 
• You need treat­ment for minor aller­gic reac­tions or mild asthma. 
• You require care out­side of your pri­ma­ry care physician’s office hours. 

Go to an Emer­gency Room If:

• You are expe­ri­enc­ing severe chest pain or dif­fi­cul­ty breathing. 
• You have a seri­ous head injury or have lost consciousness. 
• You are hav­ing a severe aller­gic reac­tion with dif­fi­cul­ty breath­ing or swelling. 
• You have severe abdom­i­nal pain, espe­cial­ly if accom­pa­nied by fever. 
• You are expe­ri­enc­ing symp­toms of a stroke, such as sud­den numb­ness or weak­ness, espe­cial­ly on one side of the body, sud­den con­fu­sion, trou­ble speak­ing, or severe headache. 

We under­stand that ill­ness­es and injuries don’t always con­sult your busy sched­ule, which is why our Imme­di­ate Care Cen­ters are open evenings and week­ends. You can choose to walk in at your con­ve­nience or sched­ule an appoint­ment online to reduce wait­ing times. 

At The South Bend Clin­ic, we are com­mit­ted to pro­vid­ing you and your fam­i­ly with the high­est qual­i­ty care when you need it most. By know­ing where to go — whether it’s our Imme­di­ate Care Cen­ters for non-life-threat­en­ing con­di­tions or an Emer­gency Room for more severe issues — you can ensure you receive the right care at the right time. 

Find an Imme­di­ate Care Cen­ter near you today >