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 treatment in St. Lucie, Florida
When it comes to an emergency, you need fast, expert care you can rely on.
The emergency room (ER) at HCA Florida St. Lucie Hospital provides just that — high-quality care for all types of medical emergencies. Our emergency physicians, nurses, technicians and support personnel work quickly, with compassion and precision, to diagnose and treat your medical condition.
Full-service emergency care
Our emergency room spans 16,000 square feet with 26 private rooms. We offer some of the most advanced medical equipment for examining, diagnosing, treating and stabilizing patients with a wide range of conditions.
When you choose our hospital for your emergency care, you gain access to a facility that offers:
- 24/7 emergency care
- Access to our Fast Track ER
- In-house diagnostic imaging and laboratory services
- Senior-friendly emergency care that recognizes the unique needs of older adults
Advanced care for chest pain
We are proud to provide advanced cardiac services to all emergency room patients with heart attack symptoms, including chest pain.
Advanced stroke care
When it comes to a stroke, every second matters to ensure you have the best chances of a positive outcome. That's why our emergency care team is standing by 24/7, prepared to provide lifesaving treatment for patients exhibiting signs of a stroke.
Because of our dedication to stroke care and our positive outcomes for patients, we have earned the certification of Primary Stroke Center as designated by The Joint Commission.
Fast Track ER
Our Fast Track ER strives to minimize wait times by offering a full range of emergency services for less urgent cases that still require prompt care.
The Fast Track ER is not a walk-in clinic but an extension of our main emergency department where we treat minor illnesses and injuries. You can still use the same entrance for the Fast Track ER as you would for our main emergency department.
You may become assigned to our Fast Track ER if your symptoms are considered less urgent during the triage process. Fast Track ER patients will be seen by a qualified medical professional — defined as a doctor of medicine (MD), doctor of osteopathy (DO), physician assistant (PA) or advanced registered nurse practitioner (ARNP).
However, if your condition should become more serious, we can quickly administer a higher level of care and even admit you to the hospital, if needed.
The Fast Track ER is open daily from 10:00am to 10:00pm.
Common conditions we treat in our Fast Track ER
Common conditions that may be designated to receive care in our Fast Track ER include:
- Back pain
- Bites, stings and allergic reactions
- Burning or infrequent urination
- Constipation or diarrhea
- Coughs
- Cuts
- Ear pain
- Rashes
- Smaller wounds
- Sore throats
Senior-friendly emergency care
We understand seniors have specialized needs and deserve to be treated with respect. Our doctors, nurses and emergency department staff are trained to be able to better communicate with and coordinate care for seniors to ensure their comfort while they are in our care. Some elements of our senior-friendly emergency care services include:
- "Senior bands" provided upon arrival to identify you and ensure you receive all the benefits of our senior emergency care services
- Dedicated rooms equipped with aromatherapy services, special lighting, handrails, extra seating and white boards with large writing to communicate the plan of care
- Education on our electronic medical records and one-on-one help to sign up
- Pocket card for medications and allergies
- Help scheduling necessary follow-up care with a primary care physician
Freestanding emergency room
In addition to the emergency room at our main campus, we also offer a freestanding emergency room: HCA Florida Darwin Square Emergency. This location offers the expert emergency care you would expect to receive at our main emergency room, while providing you with another convenient location in Port St. Lucie.
Our freestanding emergency room offers expert emergency treatment and advanced on-site diagnostic services, including imaging and laboratory testing.
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.
Conditions and symptoms that may require emergency care
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 (772) 742-9060.
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 another location?
Our Emergency care Locations
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