Call 911 if you need urgent medical treatment or in case of emergency. You can call for an ambulance, police or firefighters using this number. You can dial 911 free of charge from any public phone.
In an emergency on a highway or a secondary road, remain calm and, if you don’t have a cell phone, try to locate the nearest emergency phone. The response for accidents in the major roads is usually very fast.
If you’re physically capable you can go to the emergency room of the nearest hospital. Note that emergency treatments in hospitals are not free - check our section on hospitals for further information.
If you urgently need medication, the pharmacy emergency section in local newspapers or Yellow Pages lists the addresses of the pharmacies that are open outside of normal business hours. You can also visit any local pharmacy, which will list the address of the closest one open late in the window or on the door.
If you’re ill and can’t go to a doctors office, you can call your doctor for advice. Note, however, that most doctors in the U.S. don’t make house calls. In some cities there are special ‘house call’ services which will send a doctor to your home 24 hours a day.