The Emergency Department at
St. Luke’s Wood River features 10 beds—including two trauma rooms—and the latest in emergency services technology and equipment. Staffed 24/7 by board-certified emergency medicine physicians and certified emergency nurses, the Wood River Emergency Department (ED) provides a level of expertise that is rare in a small, critical access hospital.

The ED staff includes 12 nurses who are certified in trauma, emergency pediatrics, and/or advanced cardiac life support. Three nurses are specially trained in forensic evidence collection for sexual assault. Together with the five ED physicians, our nurses and other staff members are committed to maintaining high quality standards for patient care and expanding services to meet the needs of the communities we serve.

Every year we care for approximately 9,000 patients, about 40 percent of whom are children. Operating in an area that is a year-round destination for recreation enthusiasts, including skiers, cyclists, hikers, and climbers, we specialize in orthopedic injuries and have skilled, experienced orthopedists on call seven days a week.

Our Medical Imaging department is adjacent to the ED for easy access to CT scans and MRI. We also perform portable imaging studies, such as x-ray, often in patient rooms.

The ED features a newly expanded Outpatient Infusion Center, which was completely funded by private donations. Certified nurses care for patients who receive infusions that include chemotherapy for cancer, daily antibiotics, treatments for multiple sclerosis, and treatments for rheumatoid arthritis.

The ED staff works closely with St. Luke’s Mountain States Tumor Institute in providing infusions for cancer patients. We also work closely with St. Luke’s Boise Medical Center, where we send our cardiac patients, and Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center, where we send our trauma patients, after they have been stabilized.

Since St. Luke’s Wood River is not a trauma center, patients who need a higher level of critical care are stabilized and transported to a major medical center. Patients are transported by helicopter or fixed wing via Air St. Luke’s or Saint Alphonsus Life Flight, or by ground ambulance if poor weather restricts air transport.

St. Luke’s works in close partnership with the Wood River Sawtooth Region EMS Association to continually improve the quality of and access to emergency services for people in Blaine, Camas, and Custer counties. Employees from St. Luke’s and regional EMS groups share required continuing education, recertification, and training, such as Advanced and Basic Cardiac Life Support classes.

St. Luke’s Wood River Foundation is a strong supporter of the training and education for ED staff and area first responders. The Foundation has provided funding for sexual assault and pediatric emergency education for ED nurses, and helped purchase patient simulators for training and practice for nurses, physicians, and emergency personnel throughout the region.

For more information about the Emergency Department at St. Luke’s Wood River, contact Karen Soracco, RN, BSN, Emergency Department manager, at soraccok@slrmc.org.