Same Day Care: Where To Go When
Use our quick comparison chart to find the right place for your child—Emergency, Urgent Care or Express Care—so you can get help fast and confidently.
When your child has an orthopedic injury, don’t sit next to sick and ill patients in the emergency room or urgent care. Get expert pediatric care at the Children's Mercy Orthopedic Injury Clinic. Our specialists will treat orthopedic injuries including:
- Broken bones/fractures
- Sports injuries
- Foot or ankle injuries
- Shoulder injuries
- Knee injuries
- Hand or wrist injuries
- Strains and sprains
Do not bring your child to this clinic if they have any of the following:
- Uncontrolled bleeding
- Head injury
- Fractures/injuries that are noticeably crooked or deformed
- Injury with loss of feeling, numbness
- Bone or muscle sticking out from skin
- Limb injury that is cold to the touch
- Injury with concern for physical or sexual abuse
- Spine/back injuries
If your child needs more specialized support, our expert Orthopedics team is here with comprehensive care for growing bones and joints.
| Symptom | Emergency Room | Urgent Care | Express Care |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allergies | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Animal bite | ✓ | Minor | Minor – no stitches |
| Asthma attack | Severe | Mild to moderate | |
| Bleeding that won’t stop | ✓ | ||
| Broken bone | Looks bent, curved or deformed | Not bent, only children > 1 year old | Not bent, only children > 1 year old |
| Bronchiolitis | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Burn | ✓ | Minor, only children > 1 year old | Minor, only children > 1 year old |
| Cast problems | ✓ | Only at Ortho Injury locations | |
| Cold or cough | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Cut | ✓ | Minor – glue, stitches or staple repair | Minor – glue or staple repair |
| Dehydration | ✓ | ✓ | No IV fluids |
| Diarrhea | With blood and fever | ✓ | ✓ |
| Earache and ear infection | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Fainting | ✓ | ||
| Fever | Infant less than 2 months old | Children over 2 months old | Children over 2 months old |
| Foreign object removal | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Head injury | Loss of consciousness/vomiting or extreme impact | No loss of consciousness/vomiting, minor impact | |
| Insect bite | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Migraine or severe headache | ✓ | ||
| Motor vehicle collision | ✓ | ||
| Nausea, vomiting | ✓ | No IV fluids | |
| Neck injury | ✓ | ||
| Pink eye | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Pneumonia | Diagnosed with worsening symptoms | ✓ | ✓ |
| Poisoning | ✓ | ||
| Rash | ✓ | Minor | |
| Seizure | ✓ | ||
| Sprain or strain | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Stomach pain | Severe or concern for appendicitis | Mild | Mild |
| Swallowed object | ✓ | Not magnet or battery | Not magnet or battery |
| Trouble breathing | ✓ | ||
| Urinary infection | ✓ | ||
| Ultrasound, CT scan or MRI | ✓ |