For life-threatening medical emergencies, call 911.
For suspected bites, stings or poisoning, call the Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222.
If you have concerns about your child’s health or if your child is in need of medical attention after our regular office hours, Phoenix Children’s has several medical resources available to you, including on-call services, urgent care and Emergency Departments in Phoenix and Avondale.
For additional information about when to call or see a doctor, visit an urgent care center or go to the nearest emergency department, check out our
care guide.
On-Call Pediatrician or Triage Nurse
Each Phoenix Children’s Pediatrics office has health care providers on call seven days a week to answer your urgent medical questions or concerns that cannot wait until regular office hours. To reach an on-call pediatric-experienced nurse, call your pediatrician's office and a triage nurse will call you back.
Phoenix Children’s Urgent Care
If your child requires same-day medical attention during the evening or weekend, Phoenix Children’s has many pediatric urgent care locations throughout the Valley. Our team provides care for a wide range of non-emergent illnesses and injuries.
To find hours at a location near you and see potential wait times, please visit https://phoenixchildrens.org/wait-times.
Phoenix Children’s Urgent Care locations are open weekday evenings, weekends and most holidays. Please check our Wait Times page for wait times and details on holiday hours by location.
Phoenix Children’s Emergency Department
If your child has a severe injury, illness or life-threatening medical concern, call 911 immediately. The Phoenix Children’s Emergency Departments, located in
Phoenix and
Avondale are open 24 hours. Please visit
https://phoenixchildrens.org/wait-times for details.
Should You Take Your Child to an Urgent Care Center or Emergency Department?
When a child or adolescent is injured or ill and requires immediate medical attention, parents may find it difficult to determine if they should visit an urgent care facility or a hospital emergency room. Here, we break down the differences between both.
A hospital emergency department is fully equipped and staffed to provide immediate medical attention for the most critical medical needs, such as life- and limb-threatening situations like heart attack, stroke, broken bones or severe traumatic injuries. They also handle medical emergencies that require additional treatments only available in a hospital setting, like surgery. Emergency rooms are usually open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Urgent care centers are clinics that provide same-day medical care for a wide variety of medical issues that should be treated immediately, but are not considered true medical emergencies. Parents should seek medical attention for their child at an urgent care center when a primary care provider or pediatrician is not available and the child cannot wait for a future appointment. To accommodate patients, urgent care facilities are usually open in the evenings and on weekends.
Visit a Hospital Emergency Room
if your child experiences the following symptoms:
- Blurred vision or loss of vision
- Broken bones and/or dislocated joints
- Chest pain or pressure
- Coughing or vomiting blood
- Difficulty breathing
- Disorientation or difficulty speaking
- Fainting, loss of consciousness or unresponsiveness
- Fever, accompanied by a rash
- Overdose of any type of medication
- Seizures
- Severe allergic reactions or asthma attacks
- Severe burns
- Severe cuts or bleeding that won’t stop
- Severe flu-like symptoms
- Slurred speech
- Sudden dizziness or loss of coordination
- Sudden numbness or weakness
- Symptoms of concussion
- Traumatic head or eye injury
Visit an Urgent Care Facility
if your child experiences the following symptoms:
- Abdominal pain
- Allergic reactions
- Animal bites
- Back and joint pain
- Burning with urination
- Eye irritation, swelling or pain
- Fever, without a rash
- Foreign objects in eyes or nose
- Headaches, earaches or sinus pain
- Minor bumps, cuts, scrapes and burns
- Minor fractures
- Moderate flu-like symptoms
- Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea
- Sprains and strains
- Symptoms of dehydration
- Wheezing or shortness of breath