Emergency care
Emergency care is the treatment of unexpected, severe medical injuries or infections. It is typically delivered in an emergency room or an ambulance. Our emergency medicine physicians stabilize your condition as quickly as possible to prepare you for the next step of care or discharge.
Emergency medical services in Tallahassee, Florida
The emergency room (ER) at HCA Florida Capital Hospital offers 24/7 emergency medical services for adults and children.
On average, our specially trained emergency physicians, nurses and healthcare professionals treat more than 110,000 patients each year. They know every second counts in emergency situations. That's why our goal is to provide effective emergency care to as many patients as possible. We offer emergency care at four locations in Leon & Gadsden Counties.
Emergency medical conditions we treat
Our emergency specialists offer 24/7 treatment for a range of conditions, including:
- Heart attack
- Injury
- Poisoning
- Profuse bleeding
- Severe shortness of breath
- Severe vomiting, fainting and dehydration
- Stroke
- Suicidal thoughts
Fast, effective emergency care
Our comprehensive emergency services include:
Heart attack treatment
We are an Accredited Chest Pain Center with Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) designated by the American College of Cardiology. This means that our dedication to excellent heart attack treatment has received national recognition.
It's essential to know the signs of heart attack and seek immediate medical attention if they are experienced. Prompt treatment is essential to preserve the heart muscle.
Male heart attack symptoms
Men and women can experience different heart attack symptoms. For example, the most common heart attack symptoms for men include:
- Chest ache
- Chest burning
- Chest discomfort
- Chest fullness
- Chest pressure
- Chest tightness
Female heart attack symptoms
The most common heart attack symptoms for women are:
- Pressure in the lower chest, which may feel like a stomachache
- Shortness of breath
- Unexplained fatigue
- Weakness
Stroke treatment
Our emergency medicine team provides 24/7 emergency care for stroke. Our dedication to superior stroke treatment has been recognized regionally and nationally, as we are designated as a Primary Stroke Center by The Joint Commission and the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration.
Our emergency room wait times
When it comes to emergency care, our goal is to continually work toward enhancing the care you receive, while reducing our wait times. This ensures you get the care you need, when you need it most.
Our wait times are updated every 30 minutes and are available on our website.
To find out the wait times of the HCA Florida emergency room nearest to you, check the top of our website or text "ER" to 32222.
Note: Message and data rates may apply. Emergency room wait times are approximate and provided for informational purposes only.
When to go to the emergency room
We understand it can be hard to know what type of medical care you need, like whether you should go to the emergency room or wait for your doctor's office to open.
However, we want you to feel secure about your choice for care, which is why we've created a list of symptoms that may indicate you need to visit the emergency room:
- Back pain, when it is unbearable or accompanied by fever, numbness, weakness, confusion, slurred speech, vision loss or loss of control over bladder or bowels
- Broken bones, when the pain is severe or there is a visible deformity
- Chest pain, when it is crushing or squeezing and accompanied by other heart attack symptoms, such as shortness of breath or nausea
- Concussion, when you have lost consciousness, even briefly, or experience amnesia, vomiting, slurred speech or a seizure
- Flu, when symptoms become severe, such as having trouble breathing, vomiting uncontrollably or becoming dehydrated
- Side pain, when it is severe and occurs in the lower right stomach, side or back or is accompanied by fever, nausea, diarrhea or blood in the urine
- Stomach pain, when accompanied by a hard or tender stomach, nausea, shortness of breath, fever or irregular heartbeat
- Trouble breathing, when breathing stops, is noisy or high-pitched and comes with pain in the chest or severe shortness of breath
If you are unsure if your symptoms require an emergency room visit, you can speak to a nurse 24/7 by calling our Consult-A-Nurse® team at (561) 345-7009.
What to expect at the emergency room
When you get to the emergency room, one of our triage nurses will assess your symptoms and vital signs. Next, a registration clerk will collect your insurance card (if available) and other information.
We medically screen, evaluate and stabilize all patients — whether or not they have insurance or are able to pay.
Anyone who has severe, life-threatening illnesses or injuries will be treated first. Everyone else will be treated in the order they arrive.
Before discharge, we encourage you to ask our emergency care teams any questions you have. It is also useful for you to keep all of your paperwork, discharge information and medicines or prescriptions together after you leave the emergency room.
After discharge, our emergency department staff will reach out to your primary care provider to ensure they are updated on your care.
What to bring to the emergency room
When coming to the emergency room, we recommend you bring:
- A list of medicines you currently take
- A list of known allergies
- Copies of results from recent medical tests, if available
- Personal care preferences and restrictions
- A responsible adult or phone number for someone to contact
Looking for a Location?
Our Emergency care Locations
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