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Mercy Urgent Care

Asheville, Brevard, Burnsville, Columbus, Waynesville & Weaverville NC

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Hayley Benton

2019 Christmas and New Year’s Hours

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Happy Holidays from our Mercy family to yours! Each of our seven locations will be closed on Christmas Day with modified hours on Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day. We will open Thursday morning on January 2, 2020 at regular center hours. Best wishes in 2020!

We apologize for any inconvenience, click here for all 2019 holiday hours.

Avoid common holiday accidents

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With all the joy and family fun the holidays bring, safety can often slip from your list of top priorities. Don’t let injury and illness put a damper on your holidays this season. Keep your family healthy this year by understanding and avoiding the most common holiday accidents, compiled by our partners at SolvHealth.

The Most Common Holiday Accidents

  • The average temperature of oil used in a turkey fryer can reach 350 degrees, which can lead to third degree burns.
  • 13,000 people are seen each year for accidents related to holiday decorations.
  • 5,800 accidents occur when people fall putting up decorations during the holiday season.
  • About 2,000 people every winter are treated for lacerations, sprains, and more, due to tripping over extension cords.
  • 50% of Christmas tree fires happen between Dec. 22 and Jan. 5, due to faulty lights, candle decorations, and more.
  • 1 in 6 Americans suffer from food-borne illnesses each year.
  • Thawing a turkey in an uncontrolled environment can lead to illness.
  • Candle-started fires make up 13% of home fires each December.
  • Over 100,000 people are treated for scalding accidents per year.
  • About 1,062 injuries are due to space heaters each winter.
  • Hypothermia can occur at temperatures of 40 degrees Fahrenheit or colder.
  • Over 55,000 people sustain injuries to back, neck, and shoulders each year due to carrying luggage.
  • Up to 20 percent of the population gets the flu each year, which begins in the fall and peaks around January or February.

That said, if you do end up needing medical assistance this holiday season, come visit us at one of Mercy Urgent Care’s seven Western North Carolina locations!

Mercy Foundation Day

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One hundred eighty-eight years ago today, in Dublin, Ireland, Catherine McAuley founded the Sisters of Mercy to care for the poor, sick and uneducated. Out of sheer determination to make a difference, McAuley’s organization grew — spreading its message and its reach to more than 40 countries across the globe.

A sponsored ministry of the Sisters of Mercy South Central Community, Mercy Urgent Care’s not-for-profit urgent care network exists within that same Sisters of Mercy umbrella, and, on this day, Thursday, Dec. 12, we celebrate our Foundation Day — looking back over a legacy that began in 1831.

In the 10 years that followed the founding of Sisters of Mercy, McAuley established 14 more independent ministries in Ireland and England — expanding the Sisters of Mercy to include 100 women by the time of her death in 1841. First arriving on U.S. soil in 1843, the Sisters of Mercy quickly spread throughout the country, caring for the sick and economically poor on this side of the Atlantic. By 1900, the Sisters arrived in the mountains, opening up Asheville’s first tuberculosis sanitarium on the corner of French Broad and Patton Avenues downtown — and we’ve been here ever since.

Today, the Mercy organization includes a diverse range of ministries, from hospitals and urgent care facilities — like Mercy Urgent Care — to universities and high schools, parishes, shelters and immigrant centers.

On Dec. 12, celebrate Foundation Day with Mercy Urgent Care and the Sisters of Mercy —  honoring our mission that’s nearly two centuries strong, with 175 partners worldwide.

Safe Toys & Gifts Month

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Gift-giving season has officially begun! This December, Mercy Urgent Care is helping spread the word about gift safety for Safe Toys and Gifts Awareness Month.

An initiative of the group Prevent Blindness America, Safe Toys and Gifts Awareness Month encourages everyone to consider the age- and ability-appropriateness of all gifts during the holiday season — especially when shopping for infants and children under age three.

When choosing toys, Prevent Blindness America suggests adhering to the following guidelines:

Before purchasing:

  • Read all warnings and instructions on the box.
  • Ask yourself if the toy is right for the individual child’s ability and age.
  • Avoid purchasing toys with sharp or rigid points, spikes, rods or dangerous edges.
  • Check the lenses and frames of children’s sunglasses; many can break and cause injuries.
  • Buy toys that will withstand impact and not break into dangerous shards.
  • Look for the letters ASTM. This designation means the product meets the national safety standards set by ASTM International.
  • Avoid toys that shoot or include parts that fly off. Remember that BB guns are NOT toys.

Before letting children play with toys:

  • Inspect toys for safe, sturdy construction.
  • Explain how to use the toy.
  • Fix or throw away broken toys.

Always:

  • Keep young children away from toys meant for older children.
  • Supervise children while playing.
  • Store toys properly after play to avoid risks or falls.
  • Supervise children’s craft projects (scissors and glue can be extremely dangerous to a child’s eyesight).
  • Have children wear the right eye protection for sports (face shields, helmets, eyeguards).

More helpful tips for toy safety can be found at kidshealth.org, including guides on toys for babies, toddlers and preschoolers and school-age children. From all of us at Mercy Urgent Care, have a safe and happy holiday season!

2019 Thanksgiving Hours

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Happy Thanksgiving from our Mercy family to yours! We hope everyone has a great holiday. Each of our seven locations will be closed on Thanksgiving Day. Please note Buncombe, Polk, and Yancey County locations will close at 5:30 PM on Wednesday, November 27, and Mercy Urgent Care Brevard at 4 P.M. We will open Friday morning at regular center hours. 

We apologize for any inconvenience, click here for all 2019 holiday hours.

U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week

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It’s time to celebrate the other holiday in November. That’s right: It’s U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week — and from Nov. 18-24, Mercy Urgent Care would like to remind area patients of its antibiotics policy, including the reasons why these rules are in place.

Used to treat a number of common bacterial infections like strep throat and whooping cough, antibiotics are powerful and often life-saving medications that inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria in the human body. However, the CDC estimates that at least 30 percent of the antibiotics prescribed in the United States are unneeded or unnecessary for treatment.

Inappropriate and unnecessary use of antibiotics directly contributes to the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which the CDC calls “one of the most urgent threats to the public’s health.” Without proper testing, it can be impossible to know whether the source of an illness is due to bacteria or a virus, the latter of which does not benefit from treatment with antibiotics.

Eventually, overuse and misuse of antibiotics threatens the usefulness of these important drugs. When antibiotics don’t work, infections can last longer, cause more severe illness, require more doctor visits or longer hospital stays, and involve more expensive and toxic medications. Some antibiotic-resistant infections can even cause death.

Each year in the United States alone, at least 2 million people get infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and at least 23,000 people die as a result.

“Every time a person takes an antibiotic, sensitive bacteria are killed, but resistant ones may be left to grow and multiply,” the CDC explains on its website.

Here at Mercy Urgent Care, we’re dedicated to keeping our patients and our region safe from preventable harm — and that’s why, at all seven of our Western North Carolina facilities, we’ve taken a stand against the overuse of antibiotic medications, joining the national call for antibiotic stewardship in healthcare.

Patients visiting Mercy with a possible bacterial infection may first be tested for the presence of harmful bacteria before being prescribed antibiotics — and, when possible in cases of mild to moderate illness, alternate treatment methods may be explored before antibiotics are prescribed.

For more information about antibiotics prescriptions through Mercy — or to learn more about illnesses that require antibiotics for treatment, visit our Antibiotics Policy page.