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 rooms in Florida
From the fall you didn't expect to the sudden pain in your chest, nobody plans for an emergency. That’s why we’re here.
When you choose HCA Florida Healthcare, you’re choosing a network of care facilities across the state standing by to provide lifesaving emergency treatment — day or night. With nearly 200 hospitals, standalone emergency care centers (ERs) and urgent care centers conveniently located across the state, we ensure you’re never far from the treatments you need.
When to go to the ER
If you have an injury or condition causing you serious discomfort or complications if left untreated, go to the closest hospital ER or emergency care center as soon as possible. Symptoms or conditions that should be treated in an ER include:
- Abdominal pain
- Broken bones
- Certain behavioral health issues
- Chest pain
- Concussion or head trauma
- Heart attack
- Open wounds
- Severe allergic reaction
- Strokes (cerebrovascular accidents)
- Trouble breathing
Our standalone emergency care centers, with 50+ locations around the state, provide patients with the same level of high-quality emergency care as a hospital-based emergency department. Patients requiring more advanced treatment receive a transfer to an HCA Florida Healthcare hospital for a connected and collaborative healthcare experience.
Specialized emergency services and treatments
Our goal is to provide seamless care for you and your family. To do this, we offer a variety of emergency care that allow for continuous care—from arrival through recovery. And if you need more advanced care, we arrange for emergency air transports, surgical procedures or specialist services as well.
Trauma care
Traumatic injuries require highly specialized care from doctors trained in treating trauma. At HCA Florida Healthcare, we offer access to hospitals with Level I and Level II Trauma Centers. This means we offer patients advanced trauma care from the moment they enter our hospital doors throughout their recovery.
Pediatric-friendly emergency services
If your little one needs advanced emergency care, we offer access to pediatric-friendly emergency services throughout the state of Florida. This means your child can be seen by a specialist trained and experienced in treating pediatric emergencies, so they receive the compassionate, comprehensive care that is right for them.
Should your child need additional care, we will work collaboratively with hospitals nearby to ensure they are provided with the best possible treatment.
Neonatal intensive care services
Knowing your infant needs extra care at birth can be tough on you. However, knowing our expert neonatologists—doctors who specialize in the care of newborns—can make things a little less stressful. Some of our hospitals also have neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). These are equipped with advanced technology and staffed with experienced professionals to help your baby get the best possible start to life.
Our emergency care providers
Our emergency rooms and emergency care centers include multispecialty teams of doctors, surgeons, nurses and anesthesiologists committed to providing high-quality emergency care when you need it most.
Our teams collaborate with local emergency medical services (EMS) providers to continuously improve transport times, door-to-balloon times for heart attack patients and door-to-treatment times for those experiencing stroke.
Because of this dedication, we proudly offer our patients access to Certified Primary Stroke Centers and Primary Heart Attack Centers within the HCA Florida Healthcare network.
ER vs. urgent care
Deciding between emergency care or urgent care for treating an illness or injury isn’t always easy, especially in the moment of pain or sickness.
Urgent care centers typically provide treatment for commonplace sicknesses and injuries, such as flu symptoms and ankle sprains. However, unlike an ER, most urgent care clinics are not open 24/7 and are not able to treat more serious conditions.
Conditions commonly treated at an urgent care center include:
- Allergies
- Asthma
- Bronchitis
- Common cold
- Ear infection
- Flu (influenza)
- Head lice
- Minor cuts and falls
- Mononucleosis (mono)
- Pink eye (conjunctivitis)
- Strep throat
- Urinary tract infections (UTIs)
If you are unsure whether a symptom requires emergency or urgent care, our Consult-a-Nurse® line is available 24/7 at (844) 706-8773. HCA Florida nurses staff our free hotline to help you determine the right type of care for your injury or illness before you leave home.
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