Education needed for emergency room use

An unfortunate onion-chopping incident yesterday resulted in a rough night and a newly gained insight into Airdrie's Urgent Care Centre.
This incident, which involved the loss of a nail and a good amount of blood loss, coupled with knowledge gained last summer when my daughter broke her leg, enables me to include my two cents in the growing Health Care debate.
What I learned in my nearly 2 hour wait is that people still don't know what an emergency is. As a result, people with dripping blood, intense migraines and sprained ankles are forced to wait in a crowded waiting room full of babies with colds and adults who can't (or won't) wait to see their family doctor.
Granted, thanks to the shortage of general practitioners, people may not have a family doctor, however, our city is home to several walk-in clinics. These clinics are the ideal place to go for non-emergencies that need to be seen quickly. The waiting time is similar, with the added benefit of adding your name to the list and being given an approximate appointment time, which allows you to leave and return close to your allotted time.
My opinion echoes that of many politicians: people need an education on how to use Alberta's health care system. A system in danger because of extremely high costs resulting in over-use.
I am not saying that babies with colds shouldn't be checked by a doctor-I am a concerned mother after all. I am just saying there are alternatives.
The key is to know what merits a visit to the emergency room. My humble opinion is that all life-threatening conditions, broken limbs, smacked heads, bad cuts and the like are true emergencies.
Anything that can wait isn't.
If people learn this, maybe we couldreduce waiting times and perhaps decrease the high cost of health care in our province.
It might be that the continuation of our world-renowned system depends on it.