Emergency Services
Call 706.596.4000St. Francis-Emory Emergency Room
Serving the Greater Columbus, GA, Area
That’s why we’re here.
Emergency care should be readily available and provided by highly skilled clinicians. The St. Francis-Emory Healthcare Emergency Room (ER) is staffed 24/7 by a team that specializes in emergency care. You can rest assured that your care team has the right combination of knowledge and compassion to provide the best care for you and your loved ones.
- 51,000+ patients served annually
- 45-bed unit that includes urgent care, behavioral health and critical care services
- More than 70 years of quality service
Next Steps
Your Emergency Room Care Team
Effective emergency care happens when experts from various specialties come together with different training backgrounds and perspectives. The St. Francis-Emory Healthcare ER in Columbus, GA, is staffed by providers who specialize in emergency care, and a wide range of other specialists are available on call.
The Emergency Room care team in Columbus, GA, is made up of experienced:
- Board-Certified Cardiologists
- Cardiothoracic Surgeons
- Emergency Physicians
- General Surgeons
- Neurologists
- Nurses
- Orthopedic Surgeons
What to Expect in Our ER
You will be cared for by staff trained to respond to any type of medical emergency. We understand a visit to the ER can be a very stressful time; therefore, you should expect us to communicate with you and guide you through your situation. Please ask questions about anything you do not understand.
Patients in the ER are treated according to the severity of their illnesses.
Patient Safety and Quality Care Come First
Our goal is to provide the best care available in the safest possible environment. To make that happen, we:
- Integrate a bedside registration process so treatment is not delayed
- Offer point-of-care (bedside) lab testing, which makes the results of many common tests available in minutes, not hours
- Provide detailed monitoring of critically ill patients
- Use well-lit rooms that are positioned so critical changes in a patient’s condition are easily assessed, which allows us to respond quickly
- Utilize a computerized system that keeps critical medications and supplies readily available
When to Go to the Emergency Room
Call 911 or head to the ER right away if you or a loved one have any of the following symptoms:
- Bleeding that will not stop
- Chest pain or other heart attack symptoms
- Confusion or other change in mental state
- Loss of consciousness
- Possible broken bones
- Seizures
- Serious burns
- Severe allergic reactions, such as severe swelling or trouble swallowing or breathing
- Stroke symptoms, which include sudden numbness or weakness (especially on one side of your body), confusion, and trouble speaking
- Trouble breathing
- Unable to move an arm or leg
Please note these are examples of life-threatening illnesses or injuries that warrant a trip to the Emergency Department. This is not a complete list of conditions which require emergency attention. If you need immediate medical attention, come to the Emergency Department right away.
Non-Life-Threatening Illnesses & Injuries
When you or a loved one has an injury or illness that is not life-threatening, it can be confusing to know whether it is worth a visit to the ER. The following services can be received through your primary care physician.
- Care for mild illnesses
- Non-urgent medical concerns
- Ongoing care for chronic illness
- Physical exams
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Expedited Heart Care
The staff at St. Francis-Emory Healthcare is specially equipped to provide quick care to patients who come to us with symptoms of a heart attack.
St. Francis-Emory is the areas only distinguished Level 1 Emergency Cardiac Care Center recognized by the Georgia Department of Public Health Office of EMS and Trauma for excellence in emergency heart care.
We provide a range of services for cardiac care for the Columbus, GA, area, including:
- Aortic aneurysm (or a balloon-like bulge in the aorta) repair
- Heart surgery, including coronary artery bypass surgery
- Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI), which opens up narrowed blood vessels in the heart
- Valve replacement and/or repair
To determine your level of risk for a heart attack, click the button:
Expedited Stroke Care
The ER at St. Francis-Emory is also specially equipped to provide timely care to stroke patients, recognized by the American Stroke Association for adhering to its highest standards of stroke care.
If you or a loved one shows symptoms of a stroke, you will be met by a team specially trained in identifying and treating strokes.
To determine your level of risk for a stroke, click the button:
Nationally Recognized ER Care – Right Here in Columbus, GA
Our goal is to provide you and your loved ones with convenient, high-quality care that is close to home. The national recognition we have earned demonstrates our team’s commitment to providing excellent care. We have been recognized with:
- Acute Coronary Syndrome Care certification from The Joint Commission
- Advanced Primary Stroke Care certification from The Joint Commission
- Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award for implementing specific quality improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association for the treatment of stroke patients
We appreciate you entrusting our Emergency Room with your health care needs in the Columbus, GA, region.