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May is Urgent Care Awareness Month, a time to recognize the critical role urgent care plays in keeping communities healthy, and to help families understand when and how to use it.

For families across Northern Virginia, Night Watch Urgent Care has been that resource since 2019. Not a corporate chain. Not a crowded ER. Just a locally owned team of experienced providers who show up every day, including evenings and weekends, for the moments that cannot wait.

This month we want to share why so many families in Loudoun County, Manassas, and Winchester have made Night Watch their first call when something comes up.

What Urgent Care Awareness Month Is All About

Urgent Care Awareness Month was created to educate communities about the important role urgent care centers play in the healthcare system.

Urgent care fills the gap between a primary care office and an emergency room. It is designed for conditions that need same-day attention but are not life threatening. Conditions that cannot wait for a Monday morning appointment, but also do not need a four-hour ER visit.

The goal of Urgent Care Awareness Month is simple: help people make better, faster healthcare decisions so they get the right care in the right place at the right time.

And in Northern Virginia, Night Watch is that place for thousands of families every year.

Why Northern Virginia Families Choose Night Watch

Locally Owned and Operated

Night Watch was not built by a corporation. It was built by a board-certified pediatrician and local entrepreneur who saw a real need in the community and decided to do something about it.

That matters. When you walk through our doors, you are not a number in a system. You are a neighbor. Our providers know their patients, treat families like their own, and have built a practice grounded in genuine care.

No corporate phone trees. No impersonal systems. Just a team that is invested in the health of this community.

Open When Your Pediatrician Is Not

Kids get sick at 8pm on a Friday. Fevers spike at midnight. Injuries happen on Sunday afternoons.

Night Watch is open Monday through Friday until 10pm and every weekend from 10am to 7pm. That means when your child comes home from school feeling off, or your toddler wakes up at 9pm with ear pain, you have somewhere to go tonight.

You do not have to wait. You do not have to guess. You can walk in.

Same Urgent Care for Kids and Adults

Night Watch treats the whole family. Whether it is a sick child, an adult with a UTI, a sports injury in a teenager, or STI testing for an adult, our team handles it all under one roof.

At our Aldie location, we also offer care for adolescents and young adults up to 26 years of age, including sexual health services, STI testing, and emotional wellness visits.

On-Site Testing and Treatment  No Extra Trips

One of the biggest frustrations with healthcare is being sent somewhere else. Night Watch is built to handle as much as possible in a single visit.

We have on-site X-ray at all three locations, on-site lab testing for strep, flu, COVID, RSV, UTIs, STIs, and more, IV hydration therapy, nebulizer treatment for breathing concerns, and same-day prescriptions. You come in with a problem and leave with a plan.

What Night Watch Can Treat

During Urgent Care Awareness Month, we want every family in Northern Virginia to know what urgent care can actually do. Here is a full picture of what our team handles every day.

Illness Treatment

• Fever evaluation and management
• Ear pain and ear infections
• Strep throat and sore throat with rapid testing on site
• Stomach bugs, vomiting, and nausea
• Respiratory illness including flu, COVID, and RSV
• Sinus infections and congestion
• Allergies and allergic reactions
• Tick bites and Lyme disease evaluation
• UTI diagnosis and treatment

Injury Care

• Cuts and lacerations
• Burns
• Sprains and fractures with on-site X-ray
• Foreign body removal
• Sports injuries
• Scooter and bike injuries
• Concussion evaluation

Diagnostic and On-Site Services

• On-site lab testing for strep, flu, COVID, RSV, UTIs, STIs, and more
• X-ray at all three locations
• IV hydration therapy
• Nebulizer treatment for asthma and breathing flare-ups
• Same-day prescriptions

Additional Services

• Telemedicine visits for when you cannot make it in person
• Physical exams and sports physicals
• STI and STD testing at our Aldie location
• Emotional wellness visits
• Care for adolescents and young adults up to 26 years of age at our Winchester clinic

When to Come to Night Watch Instead of the ER

One of the most common questions we hear is: should I go to the ER or urgent care?

Here is the simple answer.

Go to the ER for: Life-threatening emergencies. Trouble breathing or lips turning blue. Uncontrolled bleeding. Seizures or loss of consciousness. Severe allergic reactions with throat swelling. High fever in a baby under 3 months. Anything that cannot wait even one minute.

Come to Night Watch for: Everything in between. Urgent but not life threatening. Fever, ear infections, strep, injuries, stomach bugs, rashes, tick bites, breathing flare-ups, UTIs, and more. We can handle the in-between moments faster, more affordably, and with less stress than an ER visit.

And if your child needs a higher level of care, we will always tell you and help guide next steps.

Three Locations Across Northern Virginia

Night Watch Urgent Care serves families across Loudoun County, Prince William County, and the Winchester area with three convenient locations.

Aldie / Stone Ridge  42010 Village Center Plaza, Suite 100, Aldie, VA 20105  |  (703) 775-4999

Manassas  11700 Sudley Manor Dr, Manassas, VA 20109  |  (703) 589-9695

Winchester  2118 Pleasant Valley Road, Winchester, VA 22601  |  (540) 545-9999

All three locations are open Monday through Friday 10am to 10pm and Saturday through Sunday 10am to 7pm. Walk-ins always welcome. No appointment needed.

This Month and Every Month

Urgent Care Awareness Month is a reminder that there is a better option between waiting for a Monday appointment and sitting in an ER for four hours.

Night Watch Urgent Care has been that option for Northern Virginia families since 2019. And we are not going anywhere.

If your family has not visited us yet, we hope you will. And if you are already a Night Watch family, thank you for trusting us with your care.

We are here. Every evening. Every weekend. For every in-between moment.

Seasonal allergies are one of the most common conditions we see in children — especially this time of year.

Across our clinics in Aldie (Stone Ridge), Manassas, and Winchester, we’re seeing more kids come in with congestion, sneezing, itchy eyes, and symptoms that seem to linger longer than expected.

For many families, it can feel confusing. Symptoms come and go, don’t fully resolve, and often look like a cold.To help you better understand what’s going on, here are five things many parents don’t realize about kids’ seasonal allergies.

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1. Allergies can trigger asthma flare-ups

If your child has asthma, there’s a strong chance that allergies are playing a role.

In fact, many children with asthma also have environmental allergies that can trigger symptoms like coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. This is especially common during seasonal changes when pollen levels are higher.

That’s why breathing symptoms may seem worse when allergy symptoms are also present — and why early management matters.

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2. Waiting for symptoms to start can make them harder to control

Many allergy treatments are designed to prevent symptoms, not just treat them after they begin.

If your child tends to have seasonal allergies every year, starting treatment early — before symptoms peak — can help reduce how severe they become.

This is something many parents don’t realize until symptoms are already in full swing.

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3. Not all home remedies work the way you think

You may have heard that local honey can help with allergies.

While honey is safe for children over 1 year old and can soothe a cough, there’s no consistent evidence that it prevents or treats seasonal allergies.

It’s fine to use as a comfort measure — just not as a primary solution for allergy symptoms.

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4. Pollen counts don’t tell the whole story

Checking the pollen count can be helpful, but it doesn’t always explain your child’s symptoms.

Different children react to different types of pollen — like tree, grass, or weed pollen — and most reports only show a general overall level.

That’s why some kids may have significant symptoms even when the pollen count doesn’t seem especially high.

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5. There are more treatment options than you might think

For some children — especially those with persistent or more severe symptoms — there are additional options beyond basic allergy medications.

These may include targeted treatments or allergy-specific therapies, depending on your child’s age, symptoms, and triggers.

The right approach varies for each child, which is why getting the right evaluation can make a difference.

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What this means for parents

If your child’s symptoms are lingering, worsening, or not responding the way you expected, you’re not alone.

We’re seeing a lot of this right now.

Sometimes it’s straightforward seasonal allergies. Other times, symptoms may overlap with other conditions.

Either way, getting clarity can help guide the right next steps and help your child feel better sooner.

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Allergy care at Night Watch Urgent Care

At Night Watch Urgent Care, we evaluate and treat seasonal allergies and related symptoms in children across Northern Virginia.

We help determine what’s causing your child’s symptoms and recommend the next steps — whether that’s supportive care, symptom management, or further evaluation.

We’re open every day, including evenings and weekends, so you don’t have to wait while symptoms linger.

Seasonal allergies can be frustrating — especially when symptoms don’t go away as expected.

If you’re unsure what’s normal or what to do next, it’s always okay to have your child evaluated.

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A quick update from our clinics

Allergies are everywhere right now.

Over the past week, we’ve been seeing a steady flow of kids coming into our clinics in Aldie (Stone Ridge), Manassas, and Winchester with the same pattern of symptoms.

It’s not the typical “gets better in a few days” kind of illness.

It lingers.

And that’s what’s making it confusing for a lot of families.

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What we’re seeing in clinic

Most kids we’re seeing right now are coming in with:

• Congestion that won’t go away
• Frequent sneezing
• Runny nose that keeps coming back
• Itchy or watery eyes
• Red, irritated eyes (often mistaken for pink eye)
• A cough that’s worse at night

For many parents, it starts off feeling like a simple cold. But after a few days, it doesn’t improve the way they expected.

Instead of getting better, symptoms just stay — or fluctuate throughout the day.

That’s been one of the biggest patterns we’re seeing.

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Why symptoms are worse right now

This is very typical for this time of year in Northern Virginia.

Pollen levels are rising, the weather keeps shifting, and allergens are more active — especially outdoors.

Even children who don’t usually have strong allergies can start showing symptoms when exposure increases.

And because allergy symptoms can overlap with colds, it’s easy to misread what’s going on.

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When it’s more likely allergies

There’s no single symptom that confirms it, but there are a few patterns we’re seeing consistently right now.

Symptoms that linger beyond a few days, come and go, or seem worse in the morning or after being outside are often allergy-related.

Itching is another big clue — especially itchy eyes, nose, or throat — which isn’t as common with viral illnesses.Most of the time, the discharge is also clear rather than thick, and kids may seem uncomfortable but otherwise okay.

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What to do next

Not every case needs immediate treatment, but getting clarity can help a lot.

If your child’s symptoms aren’t improving, are affecting sleep, or just don’t feel typical for them, it’s reasonable to have them evaluated.

Sometimes it’s simply confirming that it’s allergies and guiding you on what will help. Other times, it helps rule out something else.

Either way, it takes the guesswork out of it.

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Allergy care at Night Watch Urgent Care

At Night Watch Urgent Care, we’re seeing and treating seasonal allergies in children every day right now.

We help families understand what’s causing their child’s symptoms and recommend the right next steps — whether that’s supportive care, allergy management, or further evaluation.We’re open every day, including evenings and weekends, so you don’t have to wait while symptoms linger.