St. Luke's Emergency Department
St. Luke’s Emergency Departments
(ED) are state-of-the-art, yet designed with the patient’s
safety and comfort in mind. On an average day, more than
225 people come through the doors of
St. Luke’s Emergency
Departments in Boise and Meridian for treatment. When they
arrive, patients and their families find:
- Twenty-nine private treatment rooms,
all of which feature a TV/VCR for patient and family use.
- Bedside registration. As a general rule,
patients are taken immediately to a treatment room, rather
than waiting and filling out paperwork in the lobby area.
This enhances privacy and helps to alleviate anxiety.
- Separate areas for minor and major medical
emergencies.
- Just what you’d expect from Idaho’s
only children’s hospital:
a special area just for kids. Tucked away from the hustle
and bustle of critical care rooms, children and their parents
will find colorful murals on floors and walls, cheerful
décor, and equipment and beds designed specially
for pediatric patients.
- Two X-ray rooms located within the department,
to help expedite diagnosis and subsequent treatment.
- A waiting room with a play area for
families with young children, as well as a separate waiting
area for those who prefer a quieter atmosphere.
- Completely separate entrances for patients
arriving by ambulance and those arriving by private car.
- A special, self-contained decontamination room for treating patients who may have been exposed to hazardous materials. Patients are decontaminated without staff, visitors, or other patients being exposed.
The main entrance to St. Luke’s Boise Emergency Department is located on Bannock Street, across from the Patient/Visitor Parking Lot. Map and driving directions
When to Seek Emergency Care
Your spouse complains of chest pain. Your child has abdominal pain and a fever. Your neighbor is stung by a bee and is having difficulty breathing.
These are obvious emergencies. But what about the cut that won’t stop bleeding? The calf muscle that is tender and swollen? The child with a high fever? These and many other medical concerns may or may not turn out to be emergencies. Even a physician may not be able to distinguish between a life-threatening disease and a less serious illness without doing further testing. Yet being informed about when and where to seek care is important because time is critical for any medical emergency.
"Patients are often concerned about going to the emergency room for a problem that may turn out to be relatively minor,” says Dr. Tad Cowley, an emergency physician with Emergency Medicine of Idaho. “I hope people understand that when they are in doubt regarding the severity of their illness, the emergency room is the place to be. The Emergency Department has staff and resources specifically dedicated to providing quality care to ‘less-critical’ patients. These resources allow this group of patients to receive care promptly, regardless of other acute medical patients that may be arriving by ambulance.”
“You can generally be seen very quickly in the Emergency Department,” says Dr. Cowley. “Furthermore, the Emergency Department is staffed 24 hours a day with specialists in emergency medicine, trained to manage everything from a minor ankle sprain to a medical catastrophe.”
Some medical complaints are certain to need emergency care:
- Chest pain or chest pressure
- Difficulty breathing
- Acute neurologic symptoms such as weakness or confusion
- Major injury or trauma
- Severe allergic reactions
- Uncontrolled bleeding
- Severe pain
- Newborns with a fever
There is another large group of less severe symptoms that will nonetheless often exceed the diagnostic and treatment abilities of an urgent care center. These include:
- Abdominal pain
- High fever
- Kidney or urinary problems
- Obstetrical and gynecologic concerns
- Seizures
- Prolonged or severe vomiting and diarrhea
- Unusual headaches
For help determining if emergency care
is necessary, talk with your doctor or Call St. Luke’s at
381-9000. In life-threatening situations, call 911
without delay.
