PHOENIX -- Doctors and nurses are already dealing with the winter months in the emergency room.
"It's the time for flu, cold respiratory symptoms and people generally being sick," said Richard Watts, clinical director of Trauma and Emergency at Good Samaritan Hospital.
And this year swine flu is in the mix.
"We're more aware of and are looking for swine flu or other influenza-like illnesses," said Watts.
The ER's are packed. By some reports, people are lining up out the doors to get in.
"All the emergency rooms in the Valley are very, very busy," said Watts.
At Good Samaritan Hospital in Phoenix they have started a program to cut down on wait times.
"Even though our volume has increased we are still able to get them an initial assessment and evaluation with a physician in a very timely manner," Watts said.
It's a plan to stop the spread of illness.
"We did that so that we could separate the sick from the non-sick so that we didn't have potentially ill people sitting out in chairs in the waiting room," said Watts.
Advice to patients? Watts said if you're not too sick go to an urgent care center or your primary physician and that will cut down on wait times.
That's advice to last throughout the flu season.
"Generally it does not slow down until late spring when people are more outside and were not all gathered up in the same rooms together," said Watts.
