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Located at top of the main driveway of Jefferson Regional Medical
Center, the Emergency Department provides care to any ambulance or
walk-in patients with any illness or injury — minor to
critical. As the "front door" to Jefferson Regional Medical Center,
the Emergency Department strives to provide prompt, courteous, and
professional care to incoming patients and their families.
The Department's first contact treatment of stroke patients has helped
place Jefferson Regional Medical Center in the "100 Top Hospitals"
ranking for Stroke care by Solucient.
The Emergency Department ranks as one of the busiest in the Pittsburgh
area for receiving and treating patients. Its emergency-trained
physicians and nurses handle more than 50,000 visits annually. In
compliance with the hospital's nondiscrimination policy, the Emergency
Department accepts patients regardless of their financial
situation.
Staff
The Emergency Department is staffed with physicians who are
board-certified or board-prepared in emergency medicine. Nurses are an
important part of our emergency care program, and our nursing staff
holds specialized training in critical care, advanced cardiac life
support, pediatric advanced life support, and behavioral
health.
Case managers also work on-site to accommodate all insurance
requirements.
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Facility Features
The department is equipped to provide high quality, urgent care
as well as a comfortable environment for those waiting with a patient.
We feature 24-hour valet parking and security service. Courtesy
aides, greeters, and spiritual care are also available during scheduled
and on-call
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| hours. The facility also includes a Quiet
Room to provide families in crisis a private space for discussion. |
Special medical features are listed below.
- Specialty treatment rooms for patients in Behavioral Health, OB/GYN, Eye/Ear/Nose/Throat, Isolation/Decontamination, and Orthopedics.
- 37 emergency beds, including 29 with cardiac monitors.
- Convenience Care Area, staffed from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., is available for all minor injuries, such as cuts, rashes, sprains, and colds. Patients can rest in a separate waiting area before an examination by our skilled nursing staff, a certified nurse practioner, physicians assistant, or a physician back up.
- Radiology services are available day and night for emergency x-rays, reducing the time spent waiting for final x-ray readings.
- Skilled staff and specialized equipment for emergency heart care patients requiring catheterization or open heart surgery.
- Safe Haven, a place to protect newborns who might otherwise be abandoned or harmed.
In addition, the EMS Department operates an EMS Communication Center
with 24-hour coverage from a location in the Emergency Department. EMT
or Paramedic specialists manage more than 10,000 contacts annually
from EMS field providers and facilitate EMS-based transportation
services for patients requiring off-site procedures or receiving
hospital discharge.
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Partnerships
When appropriate, the department partners and consults with local
agencies to develop a plan for patient safety and health.
- Local law enforcement agents
- Pittsburgh Action Against Rape (PAAR)
- Allegheny County Department of Health
- Allegheny County Department of Aging
- Childline PA Hotline for Child Abuse
- JCAHO/PA Department of Health/National Emergency Standard Compliance
- Poison Control Center
- Woman's Place
- Life Line
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Community Activities
The Emergency Department is also active in accident and illness
prevention programs for local communities. A department nurse provides
educational programs and blood pressure testing for the local Mall
Walkers Club. The department also sponsors senior citizen outreach programs as
requested.
See our Calendar of Events for
upcoming activities.
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Education Leadership
Our Emergency Department staff provides medical direction to six ALS
ambulance services, one BLS Ambulance Service, and three industrial
safety programs in Pittsburgh's South Hills.
The EMS Department also offers certification courses in Advanced
Cardiac Life Support, and Pediatric Advanced Life Support.
In addition, we present quarterly ALS Skills Reviews and bi-monthly EMS Continuing Education Programs. Program
schedules and applications are available from the EMS Department
Office at (412) 469-5941 or through the Community College of
Allegheny County Public Safety Institute.
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History
May 1977 - Emergency Services are offered at Jefferson Hospital with an anticipated volume of 26,000 patients annually.
August 1980 - The construction of a heliport enabled emergency patients to be transported to Jefferson Center or to specialized facilities by helicopters.
February 1985 - Jefferson Hospital opened a Convenience Care Center in the hospital's emergency department. The goal of the new center was to treat less critical patients (sprains, cuts) in 45 minutes or less.
September 1994 - Two television news broadcasts feature a city-wide report on emergency departments. Jefferson was identified as having the highest number of emergency medicine board-certified physicians of all local community hospitals. Today, all emergency physicians at the medical center are board certified in their specialty.
June 1995 - A $4.6 million Jefferson Hospital emergency department expansion project was completed to accommodate more than 46,000 patients annually.
September 2001 - Jefferson Hospital provided medical and emergency supplies including examination gloves, face masks, saline solution, flashlights and bottled water to aid rescue workers in New York City following the terror attacks on September 11, 2001.
March 2003 - Jefferson Regional Medical Center becomes the first area hospital to install and use Vitalworks, an emergency department patient tracking system and electronic medical records system.
February 2004 - The completion of a construction project expanded the Convenience Care area from four beds to eight.
May 2004 - The Jefferson Regional Emergency Department becomes a full participant of the Commonwealth's Safe Haven program providing parents with a safe option for newborns that might otherwise be abandoned.
August 2005 - Construction is completed on an expanded patient treatment area increasing available beds from 29 to 36. A state-of-the-art digital x-ray unit launches a process to convert all of the medical center's x-ray machines to a digital platform.
December 2006 - Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala joined Jefferson Regional and Womansplace to open a videoconference site for victims of domestic violence to obtain emergency Protection From Abuse orders.
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