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 room (ER) in Okeechobee
When you experience a medical emergency, we provide the best possible care.
At HCA Florida Raulerson Hospital, our compassionate specialists are standing by 24/7 to offer the lifesaving care you need. Our specially trained emergency medicine physicians can diagnose your condition and offer leading-edge treatment.
Expert advice, available 24/7
Free health-related information is just a phone call away. Our nurses help you understand your symptoms, treatment options and procedures. They will also help you find a provider or specialist and schedule an appointment.
Free health-related information is just a phone call away. Our nurses help you understand your symptoms, treatment options and procedures. They will also help you find a provider or specialist and schedule an appointment.
Our emergency care services
To ensure you get timely treatment, we proudly offer a complete range of emergency medicine services for children and adults.
Emergency care
Our compassionate team members provide diagnostic imaging services, including computerized tomography (CT) and ultrasound, and access to our full-service laboratory. Our ER also includes mobile device charging stations and free Wi-Fi.
Pediatric emergency care
With physicians who specialize in pediatric advanced life support, our pediatric ER offers the high-quality and compassionate care your child needs. We can treat your child in a comforting and welcoming environment, equipped with pediatric instruments for children of all ages.
Additionally, our pediatric emergency care team understands you play an important role in your child's health and well-being. Because of this, we will communicate with you and your family every step of the way about your child's care. This is so you can make the best decisions for the health of your child.
InformER
When you or a loved one is receiving emergency care, instant and accurate communication is key to help you stay informed and make any important health decisions. This is why we have implemented our InformER system.
InformER is a text messaging service that provides emergency room status updates to selected family members and friends. First, you register to receive status updates on your phone. Then, you can forward the registration code to your loved ones allowing them to also register and receive your updates. (Up to five members can be added.)
Text "informER12" to 32222 to sign up.
Frequently asked questions
To best help you, we have consolidated a list of answers to questions we commonly receive about our emergency care.
When should I visit the ER?
Knowing when to seek emergency care for yourself or a loved one is essential. 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
- Broken bones
- Chest pain
- Concussion
- Flu
- Side pain
- Stomach pain
- Trouble breathing
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 (844) 706-8773.
What should I expect at the ER?
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 everyone regardless of insurance or ability 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 should I bring to the ER?
When coming to the ER, we recommend you bring:
- A list of known allergies
- A list of medicines you currently take
- A responsible adult or phone number for someone to contact
- Copies of results from recent medical tests, if available
- Personal care preferences and restrictions
How do I stay updated on ER wait times?
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.
Knowing when to seek emergency care for yourself or a loved one is essential. 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
- Broken bones
- Chest pain
- Concussion
- Flu
- Side pain
- Stomach pain
- Trouble breathing
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 (844) 706-8773.
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 everyone regardless of insurance or ability 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.
When coming to the ER, we recommend you bring:
- A list of known allergies
- A list of medicines you currently take
- A responsible adult or phone number for someone to contact
- Copies of results from recent medical tests, if available
- Personal care preferences and restrictions
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.