Emergency Department

You don’t know when it’s going to happen, but rest easy in knowing that we’re here, and that we’ve probably seen it and successfully treated it before.

Unlike a visit to your regular doctor or checking in to the hospital for a scheduled medical procedure, no one ever plans on visiting the emergency room. Since you never know when an emergency is going to happen, at least you know what to expect if you need treatment at Alleghany Regional Hospital’s state-of-the-art Emergency Department.

The first thing to know is that we’re open – always. 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, our staff of board-certified emergency medicine physicians, ACLS certified nurses and specially trained support staff stand ready to care for you by delivering high-quality, compassionate care in a timely manner. With that said, if you or a loved one has chest pain, loss of consciousness, heavy bleeding, difficulty breathing or other critical symptoms, call 911 first without delay.

In the Emergency Department, even a few minutes difference in treating the most critically ill and injured patients can determine their outcome. That’s why we treat patients based on the severity of their illness or injury, not in order of arrival. Using the triage system, from the French word meaning "to sort,” we classify patients according to their condition, ensuring those patients with the most serious needs are treated first. Using this triage process provides the best possible outcome for our patients, but it also means that waits can and will occur.

Thankfully, our Emergency Department is equipped with the latest, most technologically advanced instruments in all treatment rooms, which, coupled with procedural efficiencies, result in decreased waiting times for patients and their families.

For patients whose situation is not life threatening, we use a process called Fast Track to further expedite the treatment of these non-urgent cases during peak volume times. Our goal is to treat minor illness and injuries quickly, getting Fast Track patients seen, treated and released as quickly as possible.

The types and varieties of emergencies we treat in the Emergency Department reflect the wide range of injuries and illnesses experienced by society. So whether you arrive with a broken bone, stomach pain, laceration, burn, emotional distress, poisoning, chest pain or a heart attack, our emergency physicians, nurses and support staff are equipped with the knowledge, experience, and advanced technologies needed to treat you.

Alleghany Regional Hospital and its Emergency Department is one of a select number of hospitals in the U.S. to be named an “Accredited Chest Pain Center” by the Society of Chest Pain Centers.

While you may not know what life is going to throw at you, the chances are pretty good that we do because our Emergency Department has probably seen your injury or illness before, and more importantly, successfully treated it. So if you’re waiting for treatment, remember that this hopefully just a short detour before getting back on the road of life again.  And that we’re here when you need us.