Are you feeling sick, or do you have an injury? Know where you need to go when it comes to emergency or urgent care.

Freestanding emergency rooms, like hospital emergency rooms, are required by the state to handle most emergency situations. They are licensed by the state of Texas; operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week; and are staffed by board-certified emergency physicians and nurses.

Although both freestanding ERs and hospital-based ERs are required by the state to handle most emergency services, trauma care is not a requirement. Trauma care-designated hospitals are equipped to deal with emergencies such as trauma surgery, neurosurgery and critical care.

Urgent care clinics, on the other hand, function more like a primary care physician’s office. These facilities are for patients with injuries or illnesses that are not life-threatening, such as the flu, allergies and sprains.