KANSAS CITY, Mo. – 'Tis the season for frequent visits to the emergency rooms – but should you go to an urgent care center instead?

Many families face that dilemma, especially through the holidays.

Physicians report the winter holidays are the busiest times for medical emergencies, but not all emergencies are the same.

If a situation is life threatening, it's best to call 911.

But Dr. Jennifer Johnson, who runs the Urgent Care Center at Children's Mercy Kansas City, says, if you or your child has a problem after hours that you'd likely take to your regular doctor, an urgent care center would be able to manage.

"Run-of-the-mill things, like fever and vomiting, and diarrhea and ear infection – and maybe they are worried that their child has flu, or a mild asthma attack,” she states. “Also mild injuries – things where perhaps you think it's a sprained ankle."

Johnson says a careful assessment of your feelings is critical when making a decision.

Some clear examples of needing an emergency room include severe burns, swallowed objects, unstoppable bleeding, head injuries and loss of consciousness.

Children's Mercy Kansas City has two emergency rooms and three urgent care facilities – in Kansas City and Overland Park, Kan.; and in Independence, Mo.

Johnson says it's also good to have a family emergency plan in place, for situations such as a broken arm that are definite contenders for emergency care.

"If you're kind of wondering, 'Do I call 911, or do I put him in my car to get him there fast?'” she relates. “If that's your line of thinking, you're better off going to the emergency room."

Johnson says an early understanding of both ER and urgent care options helps cut down on wait times, too.

Children's Mercy also has a Save My Spot online check-in program that allows patients to view current wait times.





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MINNEAPOLIS - Post offices around the country are implementing service changes described by the Postmaster General as a way to reverse major financial losses. However, labor leaders in Minnesota say the moves lack transparency and will affect vulnerable populations.

Since Oct. 1, service standards have been altered to slow the pace of delivery for some first-class mail, while cutting retail hours and increasing prices.

Peggy Whitney, a local business agent for the Minneapolis Postal Workers Union, said customers in urbanized settings might not notice it as much. However, she warned it's a different story for rural Minnesotans, especially those who see the daily mail service as a lifeline, including "senior citizens and veterans who rely heavily on medication by mail."

Whitney and other union leaders noted that the changes don't align with recommendations from the Postal Regulatory Commission, and said the Postmaster General failed to produce enough evidence to the commission. Minnesota and nearly 20 other states recently filed an administrative complaint, asking for a more detailed review of the new plan.

Postal leaders have argued that the longstanding service model was unsustainable, but Whitney said treating the Postal Service as a business runs counter to the organization's mission. When focusing on revenue losses, she said, she feels the 10-year overhaul plan doesn't make any sense, and added, "How many businesses raise prices for their customers and provide them with less products?"

Other critics of service reductions say the system could thrive by venturing into other areas, such as
banking. The Postmaster General has said some of the current price hikes will be temporary, to help with $160 billion in losses the USPS faces over the next decade.

PORTLAND, Ore. - Ahead of the busiest season of the year for the U.S. Postal Service, some Oregon postal workers are voicing concerns about the latest policy changes.

They include new "service standards" that slow down first-class mail delivery. Mail traveling less than 1,000 miles should reach its destination in three days, and mail traveling more than 1,900 miles will take about five days. The Postal Service also has hiked rates for mail, packages and other special services.

With these changes and staffing issues, said Joe Cogan, president of Portland's local postal workers' union, he doesn't think the Postal Service is prepared for the holiday crunch.

"I just don't know how any organization or business can survive if you're reducing service and charging more. It just doesn't make sense to me," he said. "I can tell you that the employees that I represent, we want to serve our customers to the best of our ability - and we believe that this action prevents us from doing that."

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has said the Postal Service is hiring 40,000 seasonal workers to help with the holiday rush, and that the changes are needed to trim a $160 billion loss by 2030.

Christopher Shaw, an author and historian of the U.S. Postal Service, said he's already hearing reports of how these changes are affecting small-business owners. They often depend on first-class mail and have said the slowdown will impact their day-to-day operations. Shaw said he thinks some may turn to other delivery providers, which could lead to further privatization of the industry.

"These changes," he said, "are part of a trend where the Postal Service is conceived of not as a public service, and instead more like a for-profit business, which could very well lead to degradation of the service that Americans have expected and received over the years."

The changes are part of DeJoy's 10-year plan, called "Delivering for America," which includes modernizing the vehicle fleet and making investments in mail-processing facilities.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - After discovering the healing powers of eating natural, healthy foods, one Jacksonville woman sought to show her community what was possible. However, she lived in a food desert.

That was just one of the challenges for Tyrica Moore, owner of TeaPosh Naturals. It used to be a vegan cafe but transitioned during the pandemic into a retail store for natural herbs and teas. Moore's other challenge was securing financial support to keep her business afloat. She found that at Self-Help Credit Union, a Community Development Financial Institution that serves economically marginalized communities.

"Self-Help then came around and was able to help me to advance myself financially, and get over a huge hump and be able to pivot the business, versus 100% closing the business," she said. "So now, my passion is to help the community do the same thing."

Stories such as Moore's will be spotlighted for National Business Women's Week, which begins Oct. 17. One goal is to close a financing gap of $300 billion for woman-owned small businesses globally. According to the International Finance Corp., many have limited or no access to financial services.

Ebony Perkins, Self-Help Credit Union's national resource manager, said empowering women to secure credit and be financially independent sets examples within families, as they pass financial values on to their children.

"Our mission is to provide economic opportunity for all people," she said, "and historically in America, women have been underserved and kept out of the financial conversation."

Perkins added that Community Banks and Credit Development Credit Unions offer low account minimums, so more people can use their services -- people who are capable, but often overlooked by large financial institutions.