Other Important Information

Pain Control
Pain is sometimes the only symptom of how serious your problem is. The staff may first need to find the cause of the problem before giving you pain medication. You will be asked to rate your pain before and after being medicated to help us offer you the most pain control possible. Sometimes we can’t make all of the pain go away; we can only hope to make it tolerable.

Diagnosis and Treatment
The Emergency Department may not always be able to fully diagnose or treat your problem. We will begin treatment based on information obtained during your visit. Many times you will need further outpatient evaluation and treatment, which may change or alter your diagnosis or treatment. We may start you on medications that are later changed to better treat your specific needs.

Admission
The nature of your illness or injury may require you to be admitted to the hospital. Because the Emergency Department physicians do not admit patients to the hospital, you will need to have a private physician; we will assist you with the arrangements. We utilize hospitalists for many admissions to our facility. They specialize in acute hospitalized patients and are specialists in this field.

Discharge
If you do not require further immediate medical attention, you will be discharged from the Emergency Department. The Emergency Department physician may write a prescription for medications, and you will also be given instructions for follow-up care. Please read and follow these instructions and ask questions of the staff if you do not understand. If you have been given a prescription, please make every effort to start the medication as soon as possible.

If you have further questions about your discharge instructions please directly call the Emergency Department at (707) 554-5201.

I am not happy with the way things went during my visit.
Our goal is to provide every patient with very good care. However, at times we understand that you may feel we haven’t met your expectations. If this is the case, please expectations tell us today—ask to speak to the Charge Nurse. If you are uncomfortable doing that, please do not hesitate to ask for the administrative supervisor on duty or call the manager at (707) 554-5371. You can always utilize your e-mail and send your concerns to Angie Hammons, ER Manager.

You will get a survey in the mail, and we would love to hear how you felt we did. It is with your feedback that we try to make our improvements.