Emergency / Trauma

When every minute counts, Valley Hospital and Medical Center is the closest choice for anyone in Spokane Valley. Serving our community since 1969, we are staffed to provide exceptional service with 24-hour access.

	As the "front door" to Valley Hospital and Medical Center, the Emergency Department strives to provide prompt, courteous, and professional care to incoming patients and their families. Our emergency department is staffed by physicians and registered nurses experienced in emergency, trauma, and critical care. These professionals have access to the latest medical technologies to treat injuries and illness -- and they never forget the importance of the human touch. Valley Hospital and Medical Center's emergency department also includes cardiac treatment rooms specifically designed for patients with cardiac emergencies. And, our roof-top helipad insures rapid triage and transport of critically ill trauma patients to designated specialty services within our area. Our response to your emergency is immediate and comprehensive. For patients arriving by ambulance, we communicate with paramedics on their way to our emergency services department to ensure that we are fully prepared to treat the patient upon arrival. This helps us to speed diagnosis and treatment. In our emergency center, we have ready access to language translators and equipment for the hearing-impaired, which allows us to accommodate special needs.

State-of-the-art facility

	Several new additions to Valley Hospital and Medical Center's emergency department make it a state-of-the-art facility: 21 private rooms Bedside registration Two private rooms with restrooms for OB/GYN emergencies Cardiac monitoring for each bed Easy access to MRI, Spiral CT, digital radiography An area for non-acute emergencies Centralized nursing area with views of patient rooms Waiting room with private areas and children's playroom Full radiology services, including CT scan and MRI, and comprehensive laboratory testing are available. More importantly, a number of state-of-the-art tools have been deployed to facilitate and expedite safe emergency care. A digital teleradiology system allows for any X-ray study to be promptly reviewed by both the radiologist and the emergency physician. Certain critical laboratory tests now can be conducted at the patient’s bedside, with results becoming available in a matter of seconds. A patient tracking system identifies the stage or intervention that is next in the care of any patient, allowing for prompt identification of preventable delays.

A staff of experts

	All of our physicians are trained in emergency medicine. All of our registered nurses are trained in emergency medicine and many are certified in emergency nursing as well. All of our nursing staff is certified in advanced cardiac life support (ACLS), pediatric life support (PLS), neonatal resuscitation (NRP), emergency nursing pediatric program (ENCP), trauma nursing care course (TNCC), basic life support (BLS), critical care and emergency nursing. We even have pediatricians available for immediate consultation 24 hours a day for our younger patients who visit our ER. Valley Hospital and Medical Center’s Emergency Department staffing and management is provided courtesy of Sterling Healthcare.

Our commitment to you

	It is the policy of Valley Hospital and Medical Center that anyone who comes to our emergency department for examination and/or treatment of any emergency medical condition or for active labor will receive examination, stabilization treatment and/or transfer as determined by the patient's needs and the capabilities of the hospital. The provision of emergency services and care shall not be based upon, nor affected by, the person's race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, citizenship, age, sex, pre-existing medical condition, physical or mental handicap, insurance status or ability to pay for medical services.

Reasons to go to an emergency department or call 911

	severe abdominal or chest pain head or spine injury severe shortness of breath suicidal or homicidal tendencies sudden-severe pain severe-sudden loss of hearing disorientation severe bleeding loss of consciousness poisoning severe reaction to an insect bite A child under three-months old with any temperature above normal should be taken to an emergency room immediately.

How an emergency department works

	A visit to an emergency department can be a frightening time. It sometimes appears to be a place of well-controlled chaos. Hospital EDs are fast-paced, and life-saving intervention by doctors and nurses is a constant occurrence. Rest assured that despite the high level of activity, there is a very systematic plan in place for greeting and assessing new patients when they arrive. Generally, here's what to expect: You will be asked to identify your emergency. A triage nurse will assess your condition. Depending on the severity of your illness or injury, and the occupancy level within the ED, you will be asked to wait or go immediately to an exam room. Once inside the exam room, a nurse will ask you a few questions and fill out paperwork for the doctor to review. A doctor will be in to see you as soon as possible. The doctor will examine you. Family/companions may be asked to leave the room during examinations and/or treatments. A doctor may order one or more tests to properly diagnose your condition. Tests are administered by specialists (for example should you need an X-ray, a radiology technician will perform that test). Tests such as X-rays, blood analysis and CT scans not only require a specialist to perform them, they also require a specialist to properly analyze them. For these reasons, it may take some time to get final results. The ED doctor will review your test results. The ED doctor will come back into your exam room and discuss your condition and treatment in more detail. An on-call specialist will be called in if necessary (e.g., a cardiologist, gastroenterologist or hand surgeon). Physicians and nurses will provide treatment. If appropriate, you may be treated in the ED and discharged with further treatment instructions. More severe cases may require admission to the hospital for additional tests, continuous observation or even surgery. If discharged home, you will be advised to follow up with your personal physician. If you do not have a regular physician, the ED will provide a referral for you. Typically there are several patients requiring medical attention in the ED at one time. Patients are seen in order of the severity of their condition. For example, someone having a heart attack will be seen sooner than someone with a sprained ankle, regardless of arrival time. The medical staff has vast experience to ensure that you are treated quickly and competently. The goal is to get you feeling well again so that you can go back to enjoying life to the fullest.