When an emergency occurs, Catawba Valley Medical Center’s Emergency Department doors are always open to people in need of medical treatment. The department is operated on a triage basis – meaning that patients are treated based on the urgency of their needs. More than 63,000 patients are treated in the Emergency Department annually.
Services
The Emergency Department provides diagnostic and treatment services for patients presenting with a wide range of injuries and illnesses. Patients may be discharged immediately following emergency treatment or transferred to an inpatient unit or other medical facility for additional medical attention.
Streamlining Your Visit to the Emergency Department
The following advice will help make your visit less stressful and allow CVMC to better serve you.
- Have only one or two family members or friends to accompany you to the Emergency Department. Because of the size of our waiting and treatment rooms, we request a maximum of two visitors at a time.
- Bring all of your current medications to the Emergency Department, including the dose and the frequency with which you take it. Be prepared to share with us the names of all of your doctors, as well as information about your immunization, TB and tetanus status. Please bring along your insurance information.
- Make and keep a list of your allergies to foods, airborne substances and latex. It would also be helpful to include how each of these allergies affect you. Emergency room personnel will also ask other questions about your medical history and may ask about the medical histories of your immediate family—parents and grandparents—including cause of death, and their ages at that time.
- Try to leave children, the elderly, or those with compromised immunity at home or with friends or family members to prevent their exposure to illness.
- Do not assume you will be admitted to the medical center. Please make sure you have a ride home.
- If you are a patient waiting in the Emergency Department, please don’t eat or drink anything since this can interfere with, or postpone, your care.
- Be prepared to answer personal questions about yourself and your lifestyle. All of this information will be kept in the strictest of confidence and used only in conjunction with your care. If you do not wish to have your medical information discussed in front of your family or visitors, please inform the medical staff.
- If you have needs, please alert the Emergency Department staff. It will then be our goal and pleasure to meet your expectations in every way possible.
