by Sarah Warburton

What makes emergency rooms so packed around the holidays? Is it the constant Fa-La-La-La…Ooops! as people slip off ladders while hanging twinkling lights or could it be Martha Stewart mishaps while preparing the big feast? Dr. Shannon Orsak of St. Michael’s Emergency Rooms says, “We see an increase in accidents of all kinds as people travel, rush around, and gather together…but other emergencies like heart-related deaths also peak over the holidays.”

You may be busy making the rounds from Christmas parties to Cookie Exchanges to Holiday Pageants, but the pain or pressure you think is acid reflux or heartburn could actually be an impending heart attack. Dr. Orsak says, “Studies show that heart-related deaths increase by five percent during the holiday season, and peak on Christmas, the day after Christmas, and New Year’s Day. At St. Michael’s Emergency Rooms, you’ll find doctors qualified to diagnose and treat your emergencies…twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, three hundred and sixty-five days a year.”

Unless you’re a physician, how do you know if you have a “real” emergency? Brian Orsak, co-owner of St. Michael’s Emergency Rooms, says, “The state of Texas has adopted “the prudent layperson standard”…so if you think your symptoms are serious enough to go to an emergency room, then that constitutes an emergency and must be covered as such by your insurance. If you’re in pain or even if you’re not, come in and let our doctors make the diagnosis…so you can get the prompt, accurate care you need!”

Do you want to spend your holidays with your family…or sitting in a waiting room? Dr. Orsak says, “Here at St. Michael’s Emergency Rooms you’ll find everything you’d find in a traditional ER––physicians trained in emergency medicine, an X-ray, Ultrasound and CT, and an on-site diagnostic lab––without a wait! Our patients usually don’t spend more than fifteen minutes in our waiting room. We treat everything from allergic reactions and broken bones to high fevers and chest pain. Whenever you and your family need us this holiday season, we’ll be ready. Get your flu shot, take care preparing your holiday meal, and be safe and happy, because your health matters to us!”

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Save time and save money this holiday season! St. Michael’s Emergency Rooms is the first and only free-standing ER in Fort Bend and the surrounding Houston area in-network with AETNA…and we are working on similar plans with more providers. Currently we do accept more than 200 insurance plans, including Cigna, Blue Cross, United, Humana. What “accepting” these plans means to you: You’ll pay the same ER price for concierge service at St. Michael’s as you would pay at a standard ER..and often even less! St. Michael’s offers everything you need from an ER…except the wait! Think of our courtesy and convenience as our year-round present to you!

Not a Medicare or Medicaid participating provider.

St. Michael’s Emergency Rooms
16062 SW Freeway (at Hwy 6)
Sugar Land, TX 77479
281-980-HELP
www.StMichaelsER.com