Emergency Care Center

You Need it NOW

Decatur Memorial Hospital recognizes the fast, effective care in the ER is crucial to better outcomes. This is why DMH completely remodeled and restructured our Emergency Care Center area to better serve you. Within this new center, you will find 24 private rooms, a three-bed trauma area and the ability to perform bedside registration for those who require immediate attention.

More Than Above Average

Time matters most when it comes to emergency treatment. Statistics show that our skilled team of professionals provide fast, efficient care that far surpasses the national averages.

Time patients wait to see a physicians:

When Minutes Matter Most

Access to state-of-the-art technology is the key to efficient emergency services. We have incorporated diagnostic technology including, LightSpeed CT and Diagnostic Digital X-ray within our new Emergency Care Center to improve the diagnosis of heart attack, stroke and traumatic injuries.

The Emergency Care Center at Decatur Memorial Hospital is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and accepts and treats patients of all ages and diagnoses. The nurses and doctors all receive specialized training for patients who present special challenges, such as pediatric and trauma patients. Our department recently received certification from Illinois Department Of Public Health as an Emergency Department with Pediatric Capabilities (EDPA). The Office of the Inspector General Of Illinois also cited us for our accomplishments in the area of identification and prevention of domestic violence.

Our monitoring and documentation systems are state-of-the-art technology, with the Emergency Care Center becoming the first department in the hospital to implement computerized documentation. Many xray and lab procedures can be completed right in the department, which keeps the patient from having to be moved from one area to another to get diagnostic studies done. Additionally, our nursing staff has become competent in cardiac monitoring techniques and respiratory care treatments so that they can deliver this care to our patients rather than wait for staff from other departments to arrive to perform these tasks.

Recently we have focused on shortening the length of stay in our department by fostering a more collegial relationship with the other nursing units in the hospital. Also we have added telephones and televisions to our treatment rooms to make the stay more comfortable and less isolating. In addition to our nursing and physician staff, we employ PALS (patient assistant liaison), Greeters, Secretaries, Nursing Technicians, and a Patient Relations Person to assist in keeping our patients and their families comfortable and informed during their stay with us.

We are very proud of the care we deliver and our constant focus is to improve this process.