Find Closest ER

Find Closest Emergency Room As seen in... Lifehacker! Mental Floss! This shortcut was developed by an EMT. As a medical professional I know that sometimes getting to a hospital is a life or death decision and one should use the 911 system while other times, it may not be necessary to go as quickly. Emergency Rooms and the 9-1-1 Emergency Medical Services system is all too often over taxed. As a result, the public is advised to use 9-1-1 only in true emergencies or in situations where you cannot get yourself to a hospital. Other times, it is encouraged that you have a friend drive you, or to go yourself if the injury or illness is not so major. It is sometimes joked that an "Ubulance" will serve you better (and with a much smaller bill) than an ambulance. Obviously, understand the limitations of non 9-1-1 venues, and use common sense to ensure that you make this journey safely. If you have any doubts, call 9-1-1 immediately. As a result of this, I created a Shortcut that aims to help you get to a hospital in whatever manner you need to. This app will determine your current location and search for Emergency Rooms that are local to you and then get you directions there by Walking, Transit, Driving, Uber (Ubulance!), Lyft, Curb, Via and in a true emergency, you can also call 9-1-1 on your iPhone directly from this Shortcut. Install You must have previously downloaded the Apple's Shortcuts App and be running iOS 12 on your device. You must also be running Shortcuts version 2.1+. This Shortcut uses relies on UpdateKit to get you updates! I recommend that you download UpdateKit now: UpdateKit allows this shortcut to be updated when future releases are published. Download the Shortcut! Answer the prompts and run a test when you are fully healthy! For support with Uber, Via, Curb, or Lyft you will also need those respective apps installed prior to downloading the shortcut. Limitations It is important for me to be clear and up front about this Shortcut's limitations. This shortcut was designed to be used in a city. As a result the term "EMERGENCY ROOM" is the default search term sent to the Maps app. In some rural locations that the shortcut has been tested this may not show results and it instead must be run with items like "HOSPITAL" or "MEDICAL CENTER". When installed, this Shortcut will ask you to enter your keyword choice. Ensure that you test it out once inputted and change it if needed depending on your location. This shortcut is also limited to users in the United States as outside of the US has different untested addresses and a different emergency phone number. You must have cell service or WiFi access to get your location. If you don't, this app won't work.! This Shortcut cannot talk to the 9-1-1 system. As a result, if you decide to get an Ambulance your current location will not be passed onto 9-1-1 and you MUST give accurate information when asked Locations that are used are based off of Apple Maps, and as you may have personally experienced, Apple Maps is imperfect. However, the same is true about Google Maps, Waze, and other mapping products that could have been used. As a result, I decided to keep it "in house" and use Apple Maps. When you select your destination, make sure that it's actually the right place! During testing I noted that the keyword "Hospital" sometimes delivered veterinary hospitals... If you go there... don't expect to get the medical care that you're looking for! Overall this shortcut requires common sense. This is a tool but nothing more. Like any other tool it may fail and therefore should not be relied on. luckily, calling 9-1-1 from any telephone. Don't hesitate to do so if you need to November 20, 2018 Support was added for Lyft, Via, and Curb. Similar to Uber, you MUST have the app installed for this functionality to work. Additionally, if you download the app after downloading the Shortcut, you may need to re-download the shortcut as the linking to the app may break. DISCLAIMER: This shortcut is in no way meant to replace the 9-1-1 system, or any level of medical care. If you believe yourself or someone else to be in danger immediately call 9-1-1 and follow the directions provided by the dispatcher and Emergency Medical Services that are dispatched to you. If you begin on your journey to the hospital and feel worse, do not put yourself in more danger and instead use the 9-1-1 system. By using and downloading this shortcut you understand and agree that this shortcut is not a replacement in any way to the 9-1-1 system and that the information it provides is imperfect and should ALWAYS be checked prior to relying on it. Mapping data, provided by Apple, may not be correct and should ALWAYS be verified. By using this shortcut you understand that you cannot hold its creator, designer, or any affiliates responsible or liable for any harm that may come to you or others through misinformation, failure, or any other issue that arrises from using this shortcut