NILES, Mich. (WSBT) -- Health officials are dealing with an increased number of emergency room visits but Corewell Health officials say not all of them warrant a trip to the ER.
Doctors at Corewell Health are seeing an increase in illnesses and along with that longer ER wait times.
"Unfortunately, a lot of people are utilizing the ER for some of these cases of how they're feeling. And it's not always necessarily the best place for them to go, but it's something that feels comforting," said Charles Gibson, M.D. - Corewell Health in West Michigan Chief Medical Officer.
Respiratory viruses are currently on the rise this winter, forcing many to become ill.
Influenza is currently between 25 and 30% positivity rate, with 20% of patients being admitted in the ER.
With the amount of illnesses, Emergency Rooms are becoming overcrowded, causing delays.
Charles Gibson with Corewell Health says patients need to evaluate if their situation requires an urgent response.
"If you can start doing some of that investigation on the front end, you can figure out where to go that can get you seen fastest. But again, I think the best thing is to try to make sure that your symptoms match your settings so that you go to the right place so that you don't have to wait if you're not that ill to require an emergency department," said Dr. Gibson.
If you are experiencing trouble breathing, dehydration, or not being able to carry out daily activities, that could warrant a visit to the ER.
However, for pains, aches, and flu-like symptoms an urgent care or a primary doctor may better suit your needs.
Currently, Corewell Health has various options for patients to be assessed from primary physicians, urgent care, virtual visits, and even orthopedic urgent cares.
Charles Gibson, M.D. (Corewell Health in West Michigan Chief Medical Officer)
"If you have, you know, a sprained ankle, that's not something that you need to come to the emergency department for. It doesn't mean that it doesn't hurt and that you don't need attention. It just means that we wanna get you to the right place at the right time to get the right level of care," said Dr. Gibson.
Doctors also say that keeping up on flu shots and vaccines will decrease your chances of becoming ill especially if someone has underlying illnesses.
"If you have heart problems, if you have diabetes, if you have lung problems, if you have COPD, emphysema, anything like that, you absolutely should be getting the flu shot to protect yourself, because when you get the flu on top of one of those things, it's worse," said Matthew Sims, M.D. - Corewell Health in Southeast Michigan Director of Infectious Diseases Research.
Officials with Corewell say the earlier you can detect your illness it can lead to better outcomes.