Emergency Services
Rapid Emergency Care, Close to Home
From cuts and breaks to stroke and heart attack, emergencies can happen at any time. So isn’t it comforting to know our Emergency Department (ED) stands ready to help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year?
Specialized Care for Any Emergency
Our Board-certified emergency physicians and nurses treat a wide variety of medical emergencies, from minor illnesses or injuries to more serious, life-threatening conditions. In addition, we are designated by Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services as a STEMI Receiving Center for the care of cardiac patients. Studies have proven that STEMI Receiving Centers provide the best chances for survival when patients suffer a heart attack.
Our ED is fully accredited and equipped to provide state-of-the-art emergency care. Our ED is close to your home or work and offers easy access and convenient parking, unlike much larger medical centers.
What to Expect
As in any emergency department, patients with serious or life-threatening conditions may be taken ahead of other patients. For instance, people who have shortness of breath, chest pain or stroke symptoms may be taken to a treatment room before other patients. Our triage nurse sees every patient upon arrival in the ED to identify those patients who may have serious emergencies.
We make every effort to take patients to a treatment room as quickly as possible, but during busier hours there may be a longer wait to see a doctor. ED staff continually monitors our patients while they are in the waiting room. However, should your condition worsen or change while you are waiting to be treated, please tell our ED staff immediately.
Patients with more minor conditions can receive prompt attention with shorter wait times. Our ED offers a FastTrack service for patients during select hours. When the Fast Track service is open, patients with minor emergencies will be sent to the beds set aside for this service.
Your Care
A thorough evaluation will include taking the patient’s medical history and lists of current medications, known allergies, and prior illnesses and surgeries. Tests may be necessary to make a diagnosis. These might include lab work or imaging studies such as X-rays or ultrasound. If specialized treatment is needed, one of our on-call physicians will be consulted. Please be prepared to provide important information about the patient’s medical history and any relevant information leading to the emergency.
Visitors Welcome
Family members are allowed to visit patients whenever possible. In certain circumstances, family members may be asked to remain in the waiting area or there may be a limit on the number of visitors that can be accommodated. Our staff will make every effort to keep family members and friends informed of the patient's status and condition.
For more information on Lakewood Regional Medical Center’s emergency department, call (562) 531-2550.
For a physcian referral, please call (800) 813-4345