Services > Emergency Services
How to determine what level of medical care is needed
- If you or the patient feel the medical care need is not an emergency, contact your family physician, if your physician’s clinic is open.
- If you or the patient feel the medical care need cannot wait, if your physician’s clinic is closed, or if you cannot wait for an appointment, come to the hospital Emergency Department for an evaluation of your medical needs.
Emergency medical staff DO NOT give medical advice over the telephone. If you feel it is an emergency, DIAL 911 or come to the hospital Emergency Department.
At the hospital Emergency Department, a registered nurse will determine the level of care you need (urgent or emergency) based on your illness or injury and the medical attention that will be needed. If your level is urgent care and your condition changes and requires a higher level of care, you may be upgraded to emergency status. (If coming to the ER, patients should bring their medications.)
Emergency Room (ER)
The Emergency Department is staffed 24 hours a day by skilled healthcare providers trained in treating trauma and acutely ill patients. The ER is equipped to handle emergencies and it also meets requirements for minor outpatient surgical procedures. Our emergency staff nurses are specially trained in critical care and certified in Advanced Cardiac Life Support. Patients coming into the ER may be admitted to the hospital or transferred to a major medical center. The decision to transfer is made by the physician in consultation with the patient or family.
Observation Beds
This service provides patient care and observation, for up to 24 hours, while determining whether the patient can be safely discharged from the ER or outpatient area or admitted to the hospital for acute care.
Poison Control
We offer emergency care and consultation to people who have ingested toxic substances. Specific antidotes to most common poison situations are available. Contacts with the State Poison Control Center afford expert advice and direction within minutes.
Medication Guidelines for Children PDF
Urgent Care
If medical care is needed after your physician’s office hours, patients can use the hospital’s Urgent Care Service, which is located in the Emergency Department.
Hours:
- Monday – Friday: 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- Weekends and Holidays: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Urgent Care is a no-appointment, walk-in service for people with urgent medical needs that are not life threatening, but still require prompt attention. A registered nurse will determine the level of care needed, urgent or emergency, based on the patient's illness or injury and the medical attention that is needed. If a patient's condition changes and requires a higher level of care, they may be upgraded to an emergency patient.