Emergency Services

Here for you whenever you need us

Emergency Services

The Huggins Hospital Emergency Department is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The Emergency Entrance is located on the north side of the new Hospital building – just look for the red "Emergency" signs. Parking is available near the entrance.

When you arrive in the Emergency Department, our staff at the reception desk will ask your name and begin a record of your visit. You may be directed to the waiting area before seeing a triage nurse.

Triage

A triage nurse will begin assessing your condition. He or she will ask you questions about your illness or injury and take your blood pressure, pulse, and temperature. Under the guidance of a physician and standard protocols, the triage nurse can begin your care immediately. Medicine for pain or fever may be given and x-rays may be ordered right away.

The triage process helps our Emergency Department staff decide which patients should be treated first. All our patients are evaluated in this manner. Of course, patients with critical or life-threatening illnesses are given top priority.

Easing the trauma of a trip to the Emergency Department

We know how difficult an emergency is for patients and families alike, so our Emergency Department is committed to taking care of the whole family, keeping everyone together and informed each step of the way.

Once you’ve been examined, Huggins has the resources to ensure you get the right care at the right time and in the right place – regardless of whether that care is on one of Huggins’ patient floors, at Catholic Medical Center (cardiology), Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (trauma), Maine Medical Center (trauma), or a specialized facility.

Thanks to our relationship with Dartmouth-Hitchcock’s Air Transport service (DHART), a helicopter can arrive in as little as 20 minutes. For less urgent problems, or when weather prevents helicopter transport, ambulances are available that can provide basic or advanced life support en route.

Your Huggins Emergency Care Team

While you are in the Emergency Department, the following medical professionals may care for you. Our physicians, nurses, and paramedics are certified in a variety of areas including cardiac life support, pediatric life support, and discipline-specific trauma certification.

  • A Physician who is board certified will lead your care team
  • An Advanced Practice Registered Nurse who is licensed to practice under the supervision of a physician may care for you
  • A Registered Nurse will monitor your condition, give medications, if needed, and keep you and your family informed
  • An Emergency Department Technician may provide a support role to your nurse
  • Additional team members may include consulting physicians, paramedics, health unit coordinators, social workers, volunteers, registrars, and environmental services staff. We all work together to provide you with the care you need.