Tennessee is a state that offers a number of healthcare options. The state has many rural communities, and this helps shape the healthcare of the state. With a population of 6.456 million, there are many who are in need of urgent or emergency care regularly.

Urgent Care in Tennessee

The state of Tennessee has 171 hospitals. The majority of these hospitals include both urgent care and emergency room options. The hospitals include about 19,000 staffed beds, however there are about 25,000 licensed beds. Luckily, this means that there are sufficient options for those who are in need of emergency medical care in the state. In 2008 there were about 8,500 patients who visited urgent care centers.

Understanding Healthcare in Tennessee

About 14.2% of Tennessee's population is over 65 years old. This is above the national average of 13.7%. In addition to this, there is a high prevalence in the state of those with sedentary lifestyles. This means that there are many with chronic or problematic conditions in the state.

Tennessee has a large number of people who visit the emergency rooms unnecessarily. In fact, about 83.4 per 1000 people who are discharged from the emergency room could have visited an urgent care facility instead. Some conditions that can be treated at urgent care facilities include bronchitis, flu, and burns. With so many visiting the emergency rooms when it isn't needed, it's easy to see that the emergency rooms could easily be less clogged with proper use.

Tennessee offers a large number of medical facilities for the number of people living in the state. However, these facilities are frequently misused.

Specific urgent care and walk-in clinic services available in may include STD testing flu shots, school physicals and many other valuable services