24-Hour Advice Nurse Line: 1-877-431-1700/TTY 711 2 Urgent care vs. emergency room If you can’t get an appointment with your Primary Care Provider, urgent care is an option for you and your family. They can treat colds, cuts, broken bones, burns, the flu and other minor problems. To view a list of urgent care centers, visit the “Urgent Care Ser vices” page, under the “For Members” tab, at goldcoasthealthplan.org. If you have chest pain, trouble breathing, a head injur y, or another serious symptom, go to the ER or call 911. You may spend hours waiting if you don’t have a true emergency. Gold Coast Health Plan’s 24‑Hour Advice Nurse Line can help you determine if you should go to urgent care or the ER, or if you can take care of your symptoms at home. Call 1-877-431-1700, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you use a TTY, call 711. Is your teen smoking electronic cigarettes (e-cigs)? It isn’t always easy to tell. For one thing, they may refer to it by words you might not know, like vaping, Juuling, e-juice, and dripping. The e-cig devices are also made to look like everyday items. A device might disguise itself as a pen, a car key fob, or a flash drive. It’s important to know if your teen is smoking e-cigs or vaping. Most e-cigs have nicotine, the addictive chemical that hooks smokers on normal cigarettes. That means e-cigs are addictive too. How do e-cigs work? E-cigs turn liquids (e-juice) into an aerosolized vapor that users inhale. The vapor is made when 2023 © Coffey Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. Member Services Luis Aguilar Health Education Lupe González, PhD, MPH Editor-in-Chief Susana Enriquez-Euyoque Chief Medical Officer Nancy R. Wharfield, MD Copy Editor Calley Griffith WINNING HEALTH is published as a community service for the friends and patrons of GOLD COAST HEALTH PLAN, 711 E. Daily Drive, Suite #106, Camarillo, CA 93010-6082, telephone 1-888-301-1228/TTY 1-888-310-7347. Information in WINNING HEALTH comes from a wide range of medical experts. If you have any concerns or questions about specific content that may affect your health, please contact your health care provider. Models may be used in photos and illustrations. WINNING If you are a Kaiser or AmericasHealth Plan member, this information may not apply to you. TEENS AND VAPING What parents should know the liquid comes in contact with small, heated coils within the device. They appeal to kids because the liquids come in flavors like fruit, candy, coffee, and chocolate. In addition to nicotine, they might also have ●Antifreeze. ●Diethylene glycol. ●Carcinogens like nitrosamines. Be a role model Talk to your teen about the dangers of vaping. Be a good role model by not vaping or smoking. You can find more information about the risks of vaping by visiting cdc.gov. Sources: American Academy of Pediatrics; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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