It’s 9 p.m., your kid has an earache, and you’re wondering whether that means a long night in the emergency room. According to the doctor who runs UMC Health System’s emergency services, it probably doesn’t.
Dr. Christopher Piel, UMC’s director of emergency services, told KCBD this week that many people head to the ER for problems urgent care could handle, and that picking the right door can save hours. With colder weather settling in, here is a plain-language guide to where to go in Lubbock.
When urgent care is the right call
Piel said the ER “is really for major things.” Minor headaches, sore throats, earaches, a cough when you’re otherwise healthy, minor stomach pain, diarrhea, and minor cuts, scrapes, burns and sprains can all be managed at urgent care, he told KCBD.
UMC’s urgent care clinics can also do X-rays and quick tests for strep and flu, Piel said. UMC’s own location pages list other services, including animal bites, dental pain, minor allergic reactions, rashes and other skin conditions, stings and bites, and urinary tract infections.
When to go straight to the ER
Piel was just as clear about the other side. Go to the emergency department if you think you’re having a stroke or heart attack, have trouble breathing or severe abdominal pain, have a major cut, or think you’ve broken a bone, he told KCBD.
And if it’s life-threatening, don’t drive yourself anywhere. UMC’s guidance is to call 911 right away for treatment or an ambulance ride.
Why the ER gets so crowded this time of year
Piel said UMC serves a region about the size of France and the ER is often at capacity. Cold and flu season makes it worse, especially when people with several health problems catch a bug that turns serious. At the worst times, he told KCBD, ER waits can run as long as 13 hours.
That doesn’t mean you should stay home with an emergency. “If you think you have an emergency, you can’t let the wait time bother you,” Piel told the station. He said patients with something like crushing chest pain are seen quickly, with an EKG started right away. He also said patients can be moved between urgent care and the ER in either direction if needed.
UMC locations in Lubbock (all open 24 hours)
Piel said UMC has two urgent cares and two emergency centers in Lubbock, and all of them are always open. Here’s where they are, from UMC’s website:
- UMC Urgent Care (main campus): Medical Office Plaza II, 808 Joliet Ave., Suite 110. Phone 806-761-0545.
- UMC Urgent Care at Health & Wellness Hospital: 11102 Headquarters Drive in southwest Lubbock. Phone 806-472-6848.
- UMC Emergency Center (main campus): 602 Indiana Ave. Phone 806-775-8200.
- UMC Emergency Center at Health & Wellness Hospital: 11011 Slide Road.
Check the wait before you go
UMC posts approximate wait times for both its emergency centers and urgent cares on its wait times page, updated every 10 minutes. A few things to know about those numbers, per UMC: the ER figure reflects the longest time a current patient has waited to see a provider, and waits depend on how sick patients are. The urgent care figure is a two-hour rolling average.
A quick checklist
- Urgent care: sore throat, earache, cough, flu symptoms, minor cuts, scrapes, burns, sprains, rashes, UTI symptoms.
- ER: chest pain, signs of stroke, trouble breathing, severe abdominal pain, major cuts, suspected broken bones.
- 911: anything life-threatening.
- Not sure? When in doubt about a true emergency, go to the ER. Piel said you will be seen.
Need a regular doctor so you’re not relying on urgent care at all? UMC’s EZ Care line, 806-602-0275, helps people find a primary care provider, according to its website.
This guide is general information, not medical advice. Other hospitals and clinics in Lubbock also offer emergency and walk-in care; we focused on UMC because its emergency director laid out the guidance.
Sources
- KCBD, Natalie Reyna, Nov. 11, 2026: https://www.kcbd.com/2026/11/12/umc-doctor-explains-when-choose-urgent-care-or-er/
- UMC Urgent Care (main campus): https://www.umchealthsystem.com/locations/umc-urgent-care-a-department-of-umc/
- UMC Urgent Care at Health & Wellness Hospital: https://www.umchealthsystem.com/locations/umc-urgent-care-at-health-wellness-hospital-a-department-of-umc/
- UMC Emergency Center: https://www.umchealthsystem.com/locations/umc-emergency-center/
- UMC wait times: https://www.umchealthsystem.com/services/emergency-care/resources-outreach-and-prevention/wait-times/
