When to Go to an ER

For Emergency Care, Seconds Can Count

When a serious health emergency or injury occurs, seconds can matter. From the moment you enter our doors, our dedicated staff of emergency room doctors and medical professionals make it their mission to provide quality, compassionate care.

Choosing Emergency Care

So when should you visit us? If you or a loved one is in danger of dying or suffering from a serious illness or injury, you need to get to an emergency room fast. The following symptoms or situations are a sure sign of a medical emergency and require immediate attention. Call 911 or visit your nearest emergency room immediately if you experience:

• Difficulty breathing or choking
• Severe head injury
• Injury to your neck or spine, especially if there is loss of feeling or movement
• Serious burn or burn over a large part of your body
• Severe chest pain or pressure
• Passing out or fainting suddenly
• Arm pain with shortness of breath or chest discomfort
• Muscle strain, when tied to the inability to walk, fever or an open wound
• Jaw pain with shortness of breath or chest discomfort
• Unusual or intense headache that comes on fast
• Inability to speak, see or move
• Sudden weak or drooping sensation on one side of the body
• Inhalation of smoke or poisonous fumes
• Broken bone, especially if the bone is pushing through the skin
• Deep wound or heavy bleeding
• Coughing or throwing up blood
• Digestive problems, especially sudden, severe stomach pain, coupled with nausea and vomiting
• Intense back pain with numbness, weakness and fever
• Severe, debilitating pain anywhere on your body
• Serious allergic reaction with trouble breathing or swelling
• High fever that doesn’t improve with medicine
• Electric shock or lightning strike
• Suicidal thoughts/thoughts of hurting yourself or others