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Emergency Department-Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center, Fort Madison Campus

  • Category: Great River Health

About This Location

24-Hour Care for Serious Illnesses and Injuries

Our Emergency Department provides 24-hour physician coverage with access to emergency helicopter transportation. We treat approximately 35,000 patients each year. 

Services at this location

Our hospital includes an accredited Level IV Area Trauma Care Facility and an Air Evac Lifeteam Base (air ambulance services) located in the Parking Lot for advanced emergency health care and rapid medical transport. We also offer a private consultation room for families dealing with grief over a loved one in trauma or in a life-threatening situation. There is a holding room for those patients who require extended observation with all the comforts of a normal patient room.

UNDERSTANDING TRIAGE

You will be greeted by a triage specialist who is a nurse trained to determine the seriousness of your injury or illness. They will create a treatment priority list by comparing the conditions of all patients in the waiting area and ensures that patients who have life- or limb-threatening conditions receive emergency care first.

Additional Information

SHOULD I GO TO THE ER OR CALL AN AMBULANCE?

Ask yourself the following questions, and if the answer is “yes” or you’re unsure, call 911:

  • Is the condition life-threatening?
  • Is it a possible heart attack?
  • Are they experiencing symptoms of a stroke?
  • Could the condition worsen and become life-threatening on the way to the hospital?
  • Could moving cause further injury?
  • Does the person need the skills/equipment of paramedics or emergency medical technicians?
  • Could distance or weather conditions cause a delay in getting to the hospital?

Even if you think you can get to the hospital faster by driving, paramedics can bring many of the lifesaving skills and medications right to you and start care sooner. Emergency crews are trained to begin medical treatment on the way to the hospital, and they can also alert the Emergency Department in advance to the patient’s condition.

SHOULD I GO TO THE ER OR AN URGENT CARE?

KNOW WHERE TO GO

Not all illnesses or injuries are life-threatening and are better suited to be treated at an urgent care or a primary care clinic. Urgent care provides treatment when you are sick with sudden illnesses like the flu, sore throat, earache, mononucleosis, minor cuts, suspected fractures, and many other non-life-threatening illnesses and injuries. The urgent care clinic at Great River Health is a walk-in clinic for patients over the age of 18 months who don’t have a primary care provider or need extended office hours. We can help patients get follow-up care at a primary care clinic.