If you have ever visited a 24 hour urgent care center before, you know the service. Short wait times, a helpful staff and knowledgeable doctors all make an immediate care center a place where you can get help when you need it. If you have never been to immediate care, here are the top five reasons to check it out the next time you need a doctor.

1. Each year, approximately 1 billion colds are acquired by people in the United States. You would not visit the emergency room for a simple cold, but what if your primary care physician is unavailable? Try an immediate care center. Most are well-equipped to handle mild illnesses like colds and flu symptoms, though a follow-up with your regular physician always helps.

2. Americans also break approximately 6.8 million bones every year. At an immediate care center, you can get your broken bones treated faster than at the ER. This is because many 24 hour urgent care facilities house X-ray machines for immediate treatment and diagnosis.

3. ER trips have now begun to number about 110 million each year. Remember, an immediate care center is designed to treat non-life threatening illnesses and injuries. If you have the flu, a sprained ankle or some kind of respiratory affliction, choose an urgent care facility and get better sooner.

4. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that nearly half of adult ER patients seek ER health care because their regulars doctors were unavailable. If you need help and your primary care physician does not have off-hours, an immediate care center is your best choice. For parents, urgent care can easily become the best way to soothe a sick baby or child.

5. Immediate care centers date back to the 1970s in the United States. Since that time, they have grown globally and can now be found in Canada, England, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland. This means less time waiting and more time getting better. Check out this website for more.