Cold and flu season is slamming the Mountain West harder than usual, and primary care offices are booked solid for weeks. Intermountain Health is pushing a simple message: you do not have to suffer at home or flood the ER. Same-day care, both virtual and in-person, is open right now.
Patients in Colorado and Utah are getting diagnosed and treated the same day they call, often in minutes, without ever leaving bed.
Flu, RSV, and COVID Cases Surge Again
The latest CDC data shows very high respiratory illness activity in Colorado, Utah, Idaho, and Montana. Emergency rooms and urgent cares are seeing record volumes.
Intermountain Health reported a 40% jump in respiratory visits compared to last December. Hospitals in Grand Junction, St. George, and Salt Lake Valley are all feeling the crush.
That backlog is pushing appointment wait times at regular doctor offices to 14-21 days in many areas. For a sick parent or a kid with 102-degree fever, that is simply too long.
Why Same-Day Care Is a Game Changer Right Now
Nurse practitioner Madeline McGee told KJCT in Grand Junction, “When you have the flu, the last thing you want to do is get dressed, fight traffic, and sit in a waiting room full of other sick people.”
She is right. Studies show patients delay care when barriers feel high, and that delay often turns a simple virus into a trip to the ER.
Same-day options remove every barrier:
- No driving in snow or ice
- No exposure to more germs in waiting rooms
- No need to bundle up coughing kids
- Prescriptions sent straight to your pharmacy
How Intermountain Health Makes It Easy
Two simple paths are available seven days a week.
- Virtual Connect Care (24/7)
- Open the Intermountain Health app or visit intermountainhealthcare.org/connectcare
- Average wait time is under 10 minutes after hours, often under 5 minutes during the day
- Costs $79 or less with most insurance plans (many plans now $0)
- Treats colds, flu, COVID, RSV symptoms, sinus infections, pink eye, rashes, UTIs, and more
- In-Person Patterson Clinic – Grand Junction
- 1000 Patterson Road
- Open 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday
- Walk in or reserve a spot online
- Same-day labs and X-rays available on site
Similar InstaCare and KidsCare locations are open daily across Utah and eastern Idaho.
Real Patients, Real Relief
Sarah T. in Grand Junction woke up Wednesday with body aches and a fever. Her pediatrician was booked until mid-January. She opened the Connect Care app at 9:15 a.m., saw a provider by 9:25 a.m., and had Tamiflu called in before 10:00 a.m.
“I was back in bed with medicine on the way without ever putting shoes on,” she said. “It felt like a small miracle.”
Stories like hers are flooding Intermountain’s patient satisfaction surveys this month.
When to Use Same-Day Care vs ER
Use same-day virtual or walk-in clinics for:
- Fever, cough, sore throat
- Sinus pain or ear pain
- Flu or COVID symptoms
- Pink eye, rashes, minor burns
- UTI symptoms
Go straight to the ER for:
- Trouble breathing
- Chest pain
- High fever in babies under 3 months
- Confusion or severe dehydration
Quick care for common illnesses actually helps hospitals too. Every patient treated in Connect Care or an InstaCare clinic is one less person crowding the emergency department.
This season is brutal, but feeling better does not have to wait weeks. Thousands of families across the region are discovering that same-day care is just a click or a short drive away, even on the sickest days.
If you used virtual care or a walk-in clinic this month, drop your experience in the comments. Stories help others know they have options.
