Meriter Health Services - Emergency Services

Emergency Services

Emergency Services
202 S. Park Street, entrance on Brooks Street
Madison, WI 53715
(608) 417-6206

Meriter's Emergency Services Department (ED) is open 24 hours a day, every day, to anyone who needs emergency treatment.

Our ED | Chest Pain Center - Our Services for Chest Pain Patients
Our Services for Survivors of Sexual and Domestic Abuse | When to Call 911 | ES Leadership

Our ED

Paul Hick, MD Our ED prides itself on its easy access to care and treatment. There are three separate entrances – one for patients arriving on their own, one for ambulance patients and one for patients contaminated by hazardous materials. All three entrances are visible from the nursing triage area and security station.

Families with children have their own waiting room with play activities and a video player. The adult waiting room features a television, current reading materials and oxygen hook-ups for pulmonary patients. Beverage and food vending machines are nearby for family and friends of patients.

The 19,800-square-foot ED features four trauma/major medical rooms. Two trauma/major medical rooms are equipped with customized columns that hold all the gas, electrical and monitoring equipment, thereby providing a cord-free area around the patient. Additionally, there is a private family room adjacent to these rooms.

The ED also has a state-of-the-art hazmat/decontamination room to facilitate decontamination procedures for multiple patients. Other features of Meriter's ER include:

Four major treatment and trauma rooms
Two gynecology rooms
Pediatric exam rooms
Two orthopedic rooms
An ear/nose/throat room that also can be used for emergency dental care
An isolation room for treating infectious diseases
A medical imaging room
Reading lights and televisions in most of the treatment rooms
TDD devices for the deaf in each emergency room
A latex-safe environment, meaning all latex has been eliminated in favor of alternative products when available
Interpreter services

Chest Pain Center - Our Services for Chest Pain Patients

Meriter is proud to have Madison's only accredited Chest Pain Center. People who come to the ED with chest pain receive a rapid clinical assessment to determine if they are having electrocardiogram changes, abnormal lab tests and are having a heart attack that requires them to go directly to the cardiac catheterization lab for speedy treatment.

During a heart attack, time is muscle. Door to Cardiac Catheterization lab averages 70 minutes. (This exceeds the results of a group of hospitals dedicated to improving heart care - the National Registry of Myocardial Infarction - which averages 90 minutes.) Meriter ES is part of the Chest Pain Center and the Cardiovascular Center of Excellence.

Chest Pain Observation in Emergency Services

In January 2004, Meriter Emergency Services launched a new four-bed, low-risk, chest pain observation service. People with no ECG changes but new history of acute, intermittent chest pain are admitted to the Chest Pain Observation unit to undergo a standardized battery of diagnostic and screening lab and exercise stress tests. Stress tests, including nuclear scans, are available 7 days a week.

Patients benefit by learning more quickly why they are having chest pain. In most cases, patients with less serious conditions are discharged within 24 hours, saving them the expense and time of an inpatient stay. Patients diagnosed with more serious concerns are admitted to an inpatient unit.

Early Heart Attack Warning Symptoms

Know the signs of heart attack. Doing so will help you take the steps you need to possibly save your life.

Chest discomfort - Uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back
Discomfort in other areas of the upper body - Including pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the neck, back, jaw or stomach

Difficulty breathing
Nausea or indigestion
Sweating, dizziness or anxiety
Other signs - Light-headedness, fatigue or flu-like symptoms

Many times there is a combination of these symptoms, and symptoms can sometimes begin days or even weeks ahead of the actual heart attack. Any person who is experiencing any of these symptoms should call 911. Getting to the hospital quickly so an early diagnosis can be made prevents or minimizes heart damage.

Our Services for Survivors of Sexual and Domestic Abuse

Meriter's Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) works with survivors of sexual assault. If the survivor wants, the nurse gathers medical evidence that will be useful in court. The nurse works with each survivor in a sensitive, non-threatening manner and respects all decisions made. To learn more, visit the SANE section.

At Meriter, we also work with Domestic Abuse Intervention Services to assist those in abusive relationships. If you need help with a safety plan or need to talk to someone, please call our 24-hour helpline at (608) 251-4445 or TDD/Voice at 1-800-747-4045. You do not have to give anyone your name.

When to Call 911

Medical emergencies happen far more often than you may think. In Madison, one of every three persons is treated for a medical emergency each year. Chances are that you, a close friend or family member will need emergency care during the course of an average year. Because seconds can make a difference, it's important to become familiar with the emergency numbers in your area. If you live in Dane County and have a life-threatening emergency or need an ambulance, call 911.

Life-threatening situations require immediate medical intervention. Call 911 whenever the following symptoms are involved:

Loss of consciousness
Chest pain, as described above
Difficulty breathing
Extensive burns
Weakness to one side of the body or difficulty speaking

Poisoning
Severe allergic reactions
Severe, unaccustomed headache
Chemical injuries

These are only examples, of course; you must use your own judgment to decide if an ambulance is needed.

3/11/2009