St. Luke's Emergency Department
In life-threatening situations, call 9-1-1 without delay.
St. Luke’s Emergency Department (ED) in Meridian features state-of-the-art equipment and technology, and is designed with the patient’s safety and comfort in mind. On an average day, more than 140 people come through the doors of our Meridian ED for treatment. When they arrive, patients and their families find:
- Three separate service lines that provide mutual support to one another: the Emergency Department, Chest Pain Center, and Ambulatory Care Unit.
- A beautifully appointed adult and pediatric waiting area with TV/VCR capability.
- Board-certified Emergency Medicine physicians available 24/7. Physician coverage is based on a routine pattern of ED patient visits, which during peak hours can mean as many as three ED physicians on duty at one time to ensure that our physician to patient time is within 30 minutes.
- Twenty-five beds available, with an additional nine beds in the Ambulatory Care Unit/Chest Pain Center.
- Each patient care room is equipped with a TV/VCR for the purposes of health education and/or diversion.
- Five rooms used as a “Fast Track” area during high patient activity times.
- An ED physician, nurse, and CAP (nurse aide) assigned in each area to expedite patient care while ensuring ongoing quality of care and service.
- Medical imaging capability such as x-rays, CT, and Ultrasound, which includes orthopantomography (panorex capability for dental/jaw trauma).
- Conveniently located laboratory services, with results reported electronically to the ED's main desk.
- Cardiac and hemodynamic (blood pressure and blood flow) monitoring capabilities in each of our 34 rooms.
- Specialty treatment carts (Ortho, ENT, OB/GYN, suture, and sexual assault) are also available to maximize the flexibility of all rooms. Any available ED room can be tailored to meet the unique needs of patients and physicians alike by rolling one of these carts to the patient's location.
- An adjoining decontamination shower area with its own outside entrance, for medical preparedness for patients who may have been exposed to hazardous materials. The two showers, which include a private bathroom, empty into a 500-gallon holding tank. ED staff have been trained in the care of such patients, along with the necessary protective gear.
The entrance to St. Luke’s Meridian Emergency Department is located on the northeast corner of the hospital; simply follow the directional signs. Map and driving directions
|
When to Seek Emergency Care
Your spouse complains of chest pain. Your child has abdominal pain and a fever. Your neighbor is stung by a bee and is having difficulty breathing.
These are obvious emergencies. But what about the cut that won’t stop bleeding? The calf muscle that is tender and swollen? The child with a high fever? These and many other medical concerns may or may not turn out to be emergencies. Even a physician may not be able to distinguish between a life threatening disease and a minor illness without doing further testing. Yet being informed about when and where to seek care is important because time is critical for any medical emergency.
“Patients are often concerned about going to the emergency room for a problem that may turn out to be relatively minor,” says Dr. Tad Cowley, an emergency physician with Emergency Medicine of Idaho. “I hope people understand that when they are in doubt regarding the severity of their illness, the emergency room is the place to be. The Emergency Department has staff and resources specifically dedicated to providing quality care to ‘less-critical’ patients. These resources allow this group of patients to receive care promptly, regardless of other acute medical patients that may be arriving by ambulance.”
“You can generally be seen very quickly in the Emergency Department,” says Dr. Cowley. “Furthermore, the Emergency Department is staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year with specialists in emergency medicine, trained to manage everything from a minor ankle sprain to a medical catastrophe.”
Some medical complaints are certain to need emergency care:
- Chest pain or chest pressure
- Difficulty breathing
- Acute neurologic symptoms such as weakness or confusion
- Major injury or trauma
- Severe allergic reactions
- Uncontrolled bleeding
- Severe pain
- Newborn with a fever
There is another large group of less severe symptoms that will nonetheless often exceed the diagnostic and treatment abilities of an urgent care center. These include:
- Abdominal pain
- High fever
- Kidney or urinary problems
- Obstetrical and gynecologic concerns
- Seizures
- Prolonged or severe vomiting and diarrhea
- Unusual headaches
For help determining if emergency care
is necessary, talk with your doctor or Call St. Luke’s at
381-9000. In life-threatening situations, call 9-1-1
without delay.
