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.
Hospital emergency room (ER) in downtown Richmond, Virginia
When you have a medical emergency, we offer immediate, responsive care when you need it most.
At Retreat Doctors’ Hospital, a campus of Henrico Doctors’ Hospital, we treat illnesses and injuries in adults and children. Our top priority is making sure you get the emergency care you need quickly — all provided with compassion.
Emergency conditions we treat
Our ER provides care for a range of conditions, including:
- Allergic reactions
- Back pain
- Behavioral health issues
- Bites and stings
- Burning or infrequent urination
- Chest pain
- Concussion or head injury
- Constipation
- Cough
- Cuts
- Diarrhea
- Earaches
- Influenza (flu)
- Rashes
- Severe stomach pain
- Side pain
- Sore throats
- Trouble breathing
- Very high fever
- Wounds
Emergency and urgent care we offer
Whether you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency or you need fast medical care, our doctors and nurses are here with the right treatment for you.
Features of our 24-hour ER
Our ER handles various types of emergencies for patients of all ages. Our telepsychiatry services can quickly triage patients with behavioral health needs.
Some additional features include:
Stroke treatment
Our ER is a Primary Stroke Center and offers swift and effective stroke treatment. Our specialists are trained to quickly identify the signs of a stroke to diagnose and administer lifesaving medication and leads to positive outcomes post-stroke.
FastTrack ER
When your doctor’s office isn’t open or you can’t get an appointment, our emergency department's FastTrack ER is here for you. Our FastTrack ER is for minor illnesses and injuries that are not emergencies but require diagnosis and treatment within 24 hours. Some services and treatments we can provide include:
- Back pain assessment and treatment
- Bites, stings and allergic reactions
- Cough evaluation
- Cut and wound checks and sutures
- Ear, nose and throat check
- Prescription refills
- Rash evaluation
- Severe diarrhea treatment
- Throat swabs
Use the ER entrance and check in for our FastTrack ER. It is open seven days a week from 11:00am to 11:00pm.
When to expect treatment in our ER
Check the top of our website or text "ER" to 32222 to find out the wait times of the HCA Virginia Health System ER closest to you.
Note: Message and data rates apply. ER wait times are approximate and provided for informational purposes only.
Critical and intensive care services
Our state-of-the-art, 24/7 intensive care unit (ICU) provides high-quality care to patients who are critically ill or have a life-threatening injury or disease.
What to expect in the ICU
In the ICU, patients receive constant, personal attention and are often connected to lots of different equipment. Some of this equipment includes advanced heart monitors, ventilators for breathing assistance, feeding tubes and catheters to ensure we can respond quickly and effectively to changes in your health.
You may also hear various alarms in the ICU. Our nursing staff is skilled in understanding what these alarms mean and will respond appropriately.
ICU visitation
Families are an important part of the healing process, so we will notify you as soon as your loved one is able to have guests. We ask that you please be patient, as it may be some time before this is possible. Throughout that time, we will be working to address the needs of your loved one.
Once you can visit your loved one, visiting times are flexible, but there may be times when visitation is restricted in the best interest of the patient, including during testing or procedures. During restricted visiting time, you will be asked to wait in the visitors’ lounge. Please use the phone outside the unit before entering.
What to bring to the ICU
For patient safety, we ask that you do not bring flowers to your loved one. Also, please check with the nursing staff regarding your loved one's dietary restrictions prior to bringing food or beverages into the unit.
Designating an ICU key contact person
Upon admission to the ICU, we ask that you designate one person as the primary contact. This eliminates multiple calls and allow us to focus on caring for your loved one. This individual should call after 9:00am to receive updates and pass on information to family and friends.
During admission, a passcode will be issued to the designated contact person. To comply with federal patient privacy laws, only individuals with the passcode will be provided information about the patient’s condition over the telephone. Please refrain from sharing the code with others. We will defer all outside calls to the primary contact.
Important decisions during critical care
Because patients who are in the ICU are critically ill, it is important for the patient and their loved ones to know that their wishes will be honored. Decisions regarding end-of-life care are difficult to make, and we recommend that patients have an advanced directive on file with our hospital.
Advanced directives allow patients to clearly articulate their medical wishes should they be too sick to make choices on their own. It also establishes a “healthcare proxy,” or someone who is able to make decisions on behalf of the patient if they are unable to do so.
Fast, close expert ER care.
More experts. Less anxiety. When you have serious symptoms, don’t wait to get the help you need. The physicians and emergency care team at Retreat Doctors' Hospital are dedicated to getting you from assessment to treatment and back to your life quickly with fast, close, expert ER care.
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