Greenville & Washington County Emergency Services
If you are experiencing a medical emergency please call 9-1-1 for assistance, or come to the hospital if you are safely able to.
Here at the The Medical Center's Emergency Department, we are prepared to assess and treat everything from life-threatening illnesses and accidents to non-emergency family care. Our professional Emergency Department staff at The Medical Center is dedicated to providing the care you and your family need, when you need it most.
Triage
Whether you bring yourself, a family member brings you, or you are brought to the hospital by ambulance, you will speak with a nurse about why you are here. The first nurse that you will speak with is called a triage nurse. He or she will record important information such as why you are here. This nurse will also take your temperature, heart rate and blood pressure.
Once triaged, the nurse will then use a scale to determine which patients are seen first and in which area of the Emergency Department.
General Emergency
The Acute Care section of the Emergency Department is designed to handle more serious and often life-threatening injuries or medical conditions.
In the Acute Care section of the Emergency Department you will be seen by a physician and may experience some or all of the following:
- Ongoing care by a nurse assigned to you and your area
- Blood drawn for laboratory tests (these tests may take more than one hour to be completed)
- X-rays - although it only takes a few minutes to take x-rays, the Emergency Department physician as well as the Radiology physician must examine the x-rays and make a determination before you will know the results (this process often takes a minimum of one hour)
- An EKG (heart tracing)
Depending on your healthcare provider’s assessment you may also need:
- Medications
- Surgery
- IV Fluids
- Admission to the hospital
- Stitches
- Bandages
- Splints or casts
- A visit from a specialist
All of these procedures take varying amounts of time. The nurse that is caring for you can give you a better idea of the length of time you can expect to wait. We encourage you to talk to your nurse about any questions you may have concerning your care.
General Non-Emergent Care
The Non-Emergent Care section of the Emergency Department is designed to handle less serious injuries or medical conditions. In this section, you may be seen by a physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant. You may need additional tests depending on your injury/illness.
Visitors
To help the Emergency Department staff provide the best medical care and attention to your or your loved one, we ask the following:
- Only one visitor at a time with the patient
- Children under the age of 12 may have both parents present
- For the safety and protection of the children, we strongly recommend no one under the age of 12 who is not a patient, be permitted in any part of the emergency room treatment area