When there’s an emergency, you deserve fast, effective emergency medical care. UT Health Carthage offers emergency medical services around the clock, every day of the year. Our team stands ready to provide comprehensive emergency room (ER) services for you at a moment’s notice. Our 24/7 emergency care physicians are able to respond to any type of medical emergency – from the most serious life-threatening cases like stroke and heart attack down to broken bones, severe infections, and lacerations. We have served thousands of patients and will continue offering expert care for years to come.
Emergency conditions we treat
Our emergency room is fully equipped and prepared to handle a broad range of medical crises, both minor and major, thanks to facilities like radiology, diagnostic testing, in-house labs, neurosurgery, intensive care, and both surgical and cardiac care. Our ER team is skilled in addressing various urgent health issues, such as:
If you or someone you know is experiencing any of these symptoms or conditions, please dial 911 immediately.
Our Level IV trauma center
We’re a certified Level IV trauma center by the state of Texas because of our ability to deliver exceptional advanced trauma life support (ATLS). This includes rapid evaluation, stabilization and diagnostic capabilities for sick and injured patients, along with the ability to stabilize and transfer to a higher level of trauma care, if necessary.
At UT Health Carthage, all elements are in place to treat your emergency condition, including:
Please call us to learn more about our ER services.
What to expect at our ER
Upon arrival, each patient undergoes a process called triage. This process, conducted by our triage nurses at the front desk, categorizes patients based on the severity of their conditions into immediately life-threatening, urgent but not life-threatening, and less urgent.
Our ER wait times typically fall below the national average, but it’s important to understand that these times can vary greatly depending on what’s happening at our ER that day. Our primary focus in the ER is to save lives, so if a patient with a life-threatening condition arrives, they may be prioritized. This approach is different from that of urgent care or standard medical appointments, as our ER operates on a need-based system rather than a first-come-first-served basis.
After triage, the check-in process includes an assessment of your vital signs. Then an emergency medicine physician will delve deeper into your condition. This stage often involves coordinating with multiple specialists, such as radiologists, general surgeons, neurologists, gastroenterologists, and others who contribute remotely by analyzing diagnostic reports and advising our emergency team.
In terms of treatment outcomes, you may be admitted for further care, discharged with instructions, referred to a primary care physician, or transferred to another facility. Our ER focuses on treating emergent, urgent, and traumatic conditions and does not typically prescribe narcotics for chronic issues.
When to go to the ER
Below are symptoms of of life-threatening or critical emergencies that indicate an ER visit is necessary:
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, call 911.