SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) -- Dangerously cold weather can send people to the hospital faster than many realize and doctors said Wednesday that physical injuries are just as concerning as getting sick during frigid temperatures.

Dr. Joe Sills, chief of emergency services at Baystate Medical Center, explained the health risks people could face during this week’s extreme cold. Hypothermia can develop if people stay outside too long in these conditions, he said. “Your body is at a temperature that is too cold for your body to regulate,” he added. “And the people that are most at risk for hypothermia would be older people, younger people at extremes of age, and those with chronic medical conditions.”

Sills said frostbite is what concerns him most when it comes to long-term effects. “If you have severe frostbite, then that can cause permanent damage to whatever areas have been exposed,” he noted. “The parts that are particularly at risk are the ends of your body (your toes, your fingers, your nose, your ears).”

Severe hypothermia can lead to organ failure as a long-term consequence. Sills said it’s easy to underestimate how much cold weather can affect health.

To avoid a trip to the hospital, Sills recommends taking precautions including dressing in layers and covering skin. People should also limit the amount of time spent outdoors. For those using gas furnaces, he advised making sure carbon monoxide detectors are working in homes.

Kenny Labrie of Chicopee walks around Szot Park in Chicopee a few times a week and continued his routine Wednesday despite real feel temperatures in the single digits. “I’m a little chilly, but I got enough layers, I think, on to keep me comfortable, so doing okay,” he said.

Labrie noted he watches for warning signs. “If there’s any signs of any dizziness or anything like that, you probably want to get inside right away or call for help or always have your cell phone on you, just in case something does happen,” he added.

Sills said Baystate’s emergency department is ready for cold weather-related injuries. The hospital has already seen some hypothermia and frostbite patients this winter. For this weekend, he is urging people not to go outside in the extreme cold unless they have to and to carry a phone.

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