In any life-threatening emergency, call 911.
When you’re sick or injured and decide you need medical help, you have three choices:
-
Call your primary care physician.
-
Visit an urgent-care center.
The urgent care center, a relatively new phenomenon, is a less-expensive alternative to emergency rooms for patients who need immediate care for conditions that are not life-threatening.
-
Go to an emergency room, whether by private vehicle or ambulance.
(Never drive yourself if you feel weak or dizzy or experience chest pain or other extreme pain.)
Don’t ignore signs of a heart attack, stroke, cancer or other serious medical condition.
Hartford HealthCare’s nine emergency departments are ready to help you, safely and promptly, with dedicated areas for non-COVID patients.
Go to the ER or call 911 for:
- Major trauma.
- Chest pain.
- Difficulty breathing.
- Stroke.
- Head trauma.
- Neck or spine injury.
- Severe bleeding.
- Seizure last from 3 to 5 minutes.
- Severe burn.
- Vision loss.
- Choking.
- Electric shock or struck by lightning
Emergency Rooms near me
|
Go to an Urgent Care center for:
- Colds.
- Flu.
- Fever.
- Asthma.
- Allergies.
- Emphysema.
- Minor skin lacerations, cuts.
- Burns.
- Urinary tract infections.
- Sports injuries, sprains and strains.
Hartford HealthCare-GoHealth Urgent Care centers also provide lab services and X-rays for joint and bone injuries.
Urgent Care Centers near me
|
How Soon Will I See a Doctor?
An emergency room isn’t first-come, first-served, so it’s difficult to say how long you’ll wait before seeing a doctor. It also depends on the number of patients who have come to our Emergency Department.
But as soon as you arrive, a triage nurse will determine the level of care you might need. Those with the most serious conditions, particularly a critical of life-threatening condition, are treated immediately. Expect some patients who arrive after you to have a shorter wait time.
Our goal is to see every patient as soon as possible. Demands for emergency care change throughout out the day because we have patients arriving by ambulance, car and helicopter. Hartford HealthCare’s Emergency Department sees more patients each year than any other ER in the area.
If, at any time during your wait, you feel your conditioned has worsened, please see the triage nurse.
What do I Bring to the ER?
An emergency usually allows little time to consider what you might need at the hospital, but it would be helpful if you bring:
- List of prescription medications you’re taking (and any that cause an allergic reaction).
- Health insurance card.
- Photo ID.
- Contact information for your primary care physician and other providers.
Your Electronic Health Record
The Epic electronic health record system installed at Hartford HealthCare provides a real-time record of your treatment, whether it’s in the emergency room, your primary care physician’s office or any other medical provider within our system.
What does that mean if you’ve just arrived at our emergency room? We’ll have instant access to your medical history, medications, immunization history, radiology images, allergies, diagnoses, all treatment and all test results. That’s vital information for our medical personnel when evaluating and treating your current condition.
MyChart PLUS
Discharge
When you’re ready to leave the Emergency Department, your nurse or physician will review discharge instructions with you. It’s important that you ask questions. It’s also important that you understand the follow-up care instructions.
All Emergency Department patients (whether insured or not) can pay either their insurance co-pay or a deposit on charges at the time of the discharge. Insurance or payment (or lack of) will not affect the quality of care. Patients receive top-quality care, regardless of ability to pay.