Emergency Care

Emergency Care at Beverly Hospital

If you’re experiencing a medical emergency, call 911.

When you or a loved one encounters a medical emergency, nothing is more important than having experts you can trust providing your care. You’ll find them in the emergency departments (ED) of Beverly Hospital and our satellite facility, Addison Gilbert Hospital.

Our EDs are staffed with board-certified emergency physicians and specialty trained emergency nurses. Part of this training includes education in meeting the needs of older adults.

If you have a heart attack, stroke or other life-threatening condition, you can rely on us. You’ll benefit from the skill of our team, as well as access to advanced life support and our intensivist service, which provides care to critically ill patients.

You’ll also benefit from the connection our team feels to you and our community. Many of us have deep roots in the area and strong, long-time connections to our hospitals. Our patients are our family members, friends and neighbors. We provide you with the high-quality, compassionate care we’d hope to receive ourselves.

Call 911 at the First Signs of a Medical Emergency

Every minute matters when you’re facing an emergency. If you are worried that you or yourself are experiencing a life-threatening emergency, it’s important to call 911 or get to the nearest ED as soon as possible:

We treat children and adults at Beverly Hospital and Addison Gilbert Hospital.

What To Expect in the ED

Ensuring you receive the best possible care is always our goal. You may receive treatment in the ED regardless of your ability to pay for our services.

When You Arrive as a "Walk-in" Patient

If you arrive at the ED by private car or other means, you first go through triage with a nurse, and in many cases, one of our providers. The triage process allows us to evaluate the severity of yourcondition and determine how quickly you need treatment.

Triage includes taking your vital signs and getting information about your symptoms. This allows us to determine if you need a bed in the main ED or can be diagnosed and treated through our Super Track Program. If you require a bed, you’ll go through a process similar to the one described above once you reach the treatment room.

When You Arrive by Ambulance

If you arrive at the ED by ambulance, our providers, nurses and technicians will work together to stabilize, diagnose and treat you.

We may need to order imaging studies, lab work or other tests. Once we receive your results, we review them with you and determine what the next steps should be. This could mean you are admitted to the hospital, or you are discharged. If you’ll be going home, we provide instructions for self-care and follow-up. If anything is unclear, we encourage you to ask questions. We’re here to help.

About Wait Times

Due to the high demand for emergency services, there may be many people in the treatment area. We appreciate your patience. Please respect the confidentiality of others in the treatment area.

We work to treat everyone in a timely, efficient manner. Be aware that we may not treat you in the order in which you arrive at the ED. To ensure everyone receives the best possible care, we focus on the most seriously ill patients first. In addition, getting results from lab work and other tests takes several hours.

This may sometimes result in lengthy wait times. And you may be tempted to leave the ED. We ask that you not leave the department until a provider sees you. Doing so could make your problem worse. It might even cause it to become life-threatening. If you are considering leaving because you’re tired of waiting — or after receiving test results through MyBILH Chart — please speak with a nurse first.

ED Visitor Policy

We recognize it may be important to have someone accompany you during your ED visit. For information about visitors, please read our visitor policies.

If You Are Hospitalized

If you require hospitalization, you may be admitted to either Beverly Hospital or Addison Gilbert Hospital. This means you may have to be transferred from ED where you arrived. A transfer may be needed to ensure you get the most appropriate services. Bed capacity issues may make transfers necessary as well.

You’ll find the same, high-level treatment and caring staff at both hospitals.

Care That Meets Your Needs

We offer emergency care for both children and adults. You’re at the center of everything we do. Our services are designed to meet your individual needs.

Level III Trauma Center

Beverly Hospital is designated a Level III Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons. This means we’re always ready to deal with injuries resulting from falls, car accidents and other events. If you or a loved one are severely injured, you have 24/7 access to:

• Anesthesiologists, respiratory therapists and computed tomography (CT) technicians
• Board-certified Emergency surgeons
• Emergency medicine and critical care physicians
• Expediated laboratory services
• Trauma-trained registered nurses

Care is provided in two designated trauma rooms. We have specialized equipment for trauma patients. We also have a decontamination room.

Nationally Recognized Stroke Care

Beverly and Addison Gilbert Hospitals are Primary Stroke Service Hospitals. We’ve been awarded the American Heart Association’s Get with the Guidelines – Stroke Gold Plus Award. This award recognizes our efforts to ensure all stroke patients have access to best practices and life-saving stroke care.

We have a team of specialists available around the clock to quickly evaluate, diagnose and treat you if you show symptoms of stroke. Then, when appropriate, we can administer tissue plasminogen activator (TPA). TPA is a clot-busting drug. It can open a blocked artery that prevents blood from reaching the brain. TPA can prevent death or serious disability. However, the drug must be given within three hours of the onset of symptoms. Our processes help ensure you receive timely evaluation and treatment.

Provider in Triage Program

We understand that a trip to the emergency department can be both unexpected and stressful. The best way to reduce this stress is to get care as quickly as possible. Our Provider in Triage Program helps us do that.

When you arrive at the ED, a nurse evaluates you to determine the severity of your illness or injury. Between 11:00 am and 11:00 pm, an additional medical provider may be part of this process. The provider could be a doctor, physician assistant or nurse practitioner.

The provider takes part in your evaluation and may put in orders that allow us to start X-rays, lab work or IVs before you ever reach a treatment room. This approach speeds up the process, allowing us to begin treatment as soon as a room becomes available.

This program was developed with from our Patient & Family Advisory Council. We work closely with this group to address patient needs and provide a more patient-centered experience.

SupERtrak: Expedited Care for Minor Emergencies

In some cases, you need medical attention even though you’re not dealing with a true emergency. Normally, you’d have to wait until more serious patients are seen and treated first. But with SupERtrak, we can get you in and out of the ED without you ever needing a bed in the ED.

The program has a dedicated staff of emergency medicine providers and nurses. They take care of you quickly. But they use the same state-of-the-art technology and provide the same high-quality care you’d expect in our full ED.

SupERtrak is available for many minor illnesses and injuries, such as

• Cuts and scrapes
• Earaches
• Flu
• Minor burns
• Sprained ankles

This service is offered daily in the afternoons and evenings.

Your Experience Is Important to Us

The ED staff at Beverly Hospital and Addison Gilbert Hospital strive to meet your needs and the needs of your family. Please feel free to contact the patient advocacy team with concerns.

Patient Satisfaction Surveys

To ensure we continue providing the best possible care, we regularly conduct patient satisfaction surveys. If you receive a survey in the mail, we encourage you to share your experience. Please return completed surveys to:

Director of Patient Satisfaction
Beverly Hospital
85 Herrick Street
Beverly, MA 01915