Emergency Services - Grand Lake Health System

The Emergency Center is dedicated to fast, effective emergency care. It is a wonderful example of Joint Township District Memorial Hospital's commitment to serving the community by addressing its health needs with the best services and facilities at the lowest possible cost.

What Should I Bring To The Emergency Center?

If you or your family has time to gather a few things before coming, it will help speed up the process. If possible, please bring the following items:

1. Your current medications or a list of current medications
2. The name and contact information for your family physician
3. Your most current insurance card
4. Name and telephone number of your emergency contact person

When You Arrive

Upon arrival, an RN will perform a quick assessment to determine acuity level while registration enters your patient information into the computer. The nurse will escort patients needing immediate attention to a treatment area so care may begin. During Urgent Care hours, the nurse may ask patients with less urgent needs to wait briefly in the waiting area.

After triage, our registration staff will ask you or your family member for information such as your date of birth, address, phone number, etc. This is to ensure proper identification. We will also need your health insurance information and a signed consent for treatment.

Beginning Treatment

Once you are in an exam room, you may be visited by physicians, nurses, and patient care technicians. Our team works together to ensure you receive the most complete emergency care possible. The physician and nurses will ask you about your illness or injury, perform an exam, possibly order tests or X-rays, and if needed, speak with other physicians regarding your care. If lab tests are ordered, you may be asked to wait up to one hour while the laboratory completes this test. If X-rays are ordered, you may be taken to the radiology room so the X-ray technologist can obtain pictures that will allow the physician to see inside the body and diagnose what’s wrong.

The Emergency Center Team

REGISTERED NURSES make up most of the staff in JTDMH’s Emergency Center.

• All ED nurses have proven competency and expertise in emergency care and are required to maintain Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Pediatric Advanced Life Support, National Institute of Health Stroke Scale, and Trauma Nurse Core Curriculum certifications.
• At JTDMH there is always a minimum of two registered nurses on duty.

PHYSICIANS at JTDMH are licensed practitioners trained in a medical specialty.

• They supervise all the care given in the Emergency Center.
• Qualified emergency physicians are staffed 24 hours / day

MID-LEVEL PROVIDERS are clinical medical professionals who provide patient care in the Emergency and Urgent Care Centers under the supervision of the ED physician.

• Mid-level providers may examine patients, diagnose patients, and provide many of the same treatments provided by the ED physician on duty.

PATIENT CARE TECHS support the physicians and nurses to provide your care.

ANCILLARY SERVICES include lab and radiology staff, respiratory therapists, and others who all play vital roles to meet your care needs.

While You Wait

We try our best to see you as quickly as possible, but at times you may have to wait. Reasons why include:

• There may be more seriously ill or injured patients who need treatment more quickly. Patients are treated based on the severity of their illness or injury. This may mean patients arriving after you will be seen first.
• You may need to wait for test results before the next part of your treatment may begin.
• Time is required to transport and complete lab, x-ray, or other tests and treatments.
• We may be trying to reach your family physician or another specialist regarding your care.
• We may be preparing your room for you following the discharge of another patient.
• If you feel you have been waiting a long time without any communication, please ask your nurse to give you an update regarding your care.

Billing And Payment

JTDMH does not refuse care to anyone. If you do not have health insurance or need help with payment, please let our staff know.

The amount you pay for your Emergency Center visit will depend on your insurance plan and the treatment you receive. You may expect to see fees for emergency physicians, fees for hospital care, or fees for other services.

"Our team works together to give you the quality of care we would expect our own family to receive"