Emergency Services are offered at Northeast Georgia Medical Center 24 hours a day, seven days a week.Highly qualified, board-certified emergency medicine physicians provide 24-hour coverage, and the use of a physician on-call list insures the availability of additional specialists as needed.
The Emergency Department houses 44 beds including:
- 14 trauma beds and two major trauma rooms
- 9 "fast track" beds, which are available from 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. for speedy patient care in less critical situations
- 8 chest pain beds, for quick and accurate diagnosis
Deciding if You Need Emergency Care
If you have an illness or injury that is life-threatening, go to the emergency room.
Typical illnesses and injuries that should be treated in the emergency room include:
- Loss of consciousness
- Severe shortness of breath
- Uncontrollable pain or bleeding
- Poisoning (First, call the Poison Control Center at 1-800-282-5846, as many poisons require immediate home treatment such as vomiting or water dilution)
- A severe or worsening reaction to an insect bite or sting or to a medication, especially if breathing is difficult
- A major injury, such as head trauma or a hard blow to the chest
- Unexplained dizziness, drowsiness or disorientation
- Coughing up or vomiting blood
- Severe or persistent vomiting
- Suicidal or homicidal feelings
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Signs of a heart attack that last two minutes or more. These include:
- Pressure, fullness, squeezing or pain in the center of the chest
- Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach
- Shortness of breath along with or before chest discomfort
- Breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness
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Signs of a stroke. These include:
- Sudden weakness or numbing of the face, arm or leg on one side of the body
- Sudden dimness or loss of vision, particularly in one eye
- Loss of speech or trouble speaking
- Sudden, severe headaches with no known cause
- Unexplained dizziness, unsteadiness or falls when accompanied by other stroke symptoms
If you or a loved one have any of these symptoms, call 9-1-1 immediately or go to the nearest emergency room.
For minor illnesses or injuries, visit one of our three Urgent Care locations.
