Emergency Services

What to Expect in our ER 

As a patient, you will be cared for by staff trained to respond to any type of medical emergency. We understand a visit to the ER can be a very stressful time; therefore, you should expect us to communicate with you and guide you through your situation. You should always ask questions if you do not understand. 

Accredited Chest Pain Center

The national recognition we’ve earned demonstrates our staff’s commitment to providing the highest quality of care including: 

American College of Cardiology Chest Pain Center Accreditation 

Wythe County Community Hospital received Chest Pain Center accreditation from the American College of Cardiology. We are dedicated to providing our patients with the best heart care treatment available. As an accredited facility, we use the newest methods and best practices in heart care to ensure that our patients receive: 

• Right care at the right time to minimize or eliminate heart damage due to heart attack 
• Timely and accurate diagnoses to reduce the disruption to your life and get you back home as soon as possible  
• Help and communication to better understand how to respond to your heart emergencies  
• Improved quality of life after a heart episode 

​To learn more about the signs and symptoms of a heart attack CLICK HERE.

When is it an Emergency?

It can be confusing sometimes to decide when your medical condition warrants a trip to the emergency room. Some examples of major illness or injury which constitute a trip to the emergency department are:

• Breathing problems
• Change in mental status (such as confusion or difficulty walking or unusual behavior)
• Chest pain or upper abdominal pain or pressure
• Continuous bleeding
• Coughing up or vomiting blood
• Fainting
• Heart problems
• Poisoning or drug overdose
• Severe burns, cuts, punctures or bites
• Severe or persistent vomiting
• Sudden dizziness, weakness or change in vision

When in doubt, come immediately to the emergency room.

Triage

When you enter the emergency room, the first step will be triage. Triage is a process that makes sure that patients with the most serious needs are treated first. The emergency room is unable to treat patients on a first-come, first served basis, so please be patient. The triage nurse will ask about your symptoms, take your vital signs and ask for a short medical history. The nurse will then classify patients according to need:

• Emergent- patients who have a life-threatening illness or injury
• Urgent - patients who are in stable condition, but need help as soon as possible
• Non-urgent - patients who have minor problems or chronic complaints

Waiting in the Emergency Department Lobby

Unless your situation is critical, you may experience a wait time. Some reasons for your wait may include:

• Other patients require immediate treatment,
• Beds or treatment rooms need to be prepared,
• Ambulances may have brought in more critical patients.

If your condition changes while you are waiting, please notify the nurse or registration clerk immediately.

If you brought a loved one or family member to the emergency room, you may be separated from the patient. This may happen if he or she urgently needs treatment, needs tests performed, or the emergency area is too congested to safely care for patients. Emergency staff will keep you informed should this happen, but please feel free to ask any questions.

The goal of the emergency room is to see patients as quickly as possible. Sometimes long waits are unavoidable. If you feel your wait is excessive, please ask the nurse for assistance.