Emergency Services

At Cedar County Memorial Hospital, we treat thousands of emergency patients every year. We have the expertise and technology to care for a wide range of emergent medical conditions. From life threatening situations to minor symptoms that need immediate attention, we are here for our community, 24 hours a day.

Our physicians are board-certified and specially trained in emergency medicine. Our experienced emergency department nurses apply their knowledge and expertise to care for our community during their time of medical need.

The Emergency department utilizes a cutting edge CT scanner, state of the art Ultrasound, onsite laboratory, and the resources of our other hospital departments to provide expert medical care.

For those patients with medical needs that require a higher level of care, we have the resources available to transfer those patients to larger hospitals by ambulance or by air. We have established relationships with Southwest Missouri's largest hospitals to provide our patients with the best care possible.

What to expect in the Emergency Department:

1. Registration
Upon arrival at our ED, you will be greeted by a registration clerk, who will ask you for information about yourself and get some basic information regarding your visit. Depending upon your level of illness, you may be asked to wait a few minutes to be triaged by a nurse, or you may be taken to a room immediately.

2. Triage and assessment
You will then be seen by one of our nurses. They will get your vital signs, a brief medical history, information on your current medications, and ask you about why you came to the emergency department today. The nurse will then assess you and assign a level of acuity. Patients with the highest level of acuity will be seen first. You may be asked to return to the waiting room to wait for an open room in the ED. Our doctors and nurses will be working to see you as quickly as possible. Once you are in a patient room, you will be examined by our nurses and physicians. Many questions will be asked and some will be asked several times such as your medications or allergies. This is to ensure that every member of the medical team are aware of them.

3. Tests and Treatments
Tests and treatments will be ordered based on your illness and symptoms. Blood tests can take 1 to 2 hours from the time that they are drawn. Lab cultures will take 2 to 3 days for results.

X rays results will be available within 30 minutes to 1 hour. CT results may take up to 2 hours. You may be given medications for your illness or condition. The physician may need to consult with other specialty providers as part of your care.

Once a diagnosis is made, the medical staff will determine if you are able to be discharged or need to be admitted or transferred. If you are being discharged, you will be given specific information about your prescribed medication and what to do after your visit, including follow-up appointments with your primary or specialty provider.

If you are being admitted, we will request a bed on the medical floor and you will be transported there. If you need to be transferred to another hospital, we will arrange medical transport based on your level of acuity and provide the receiving hospital with all the information they need to continue your care.

Our Emergency Department has been serving Cedar County and the surrounding area for more than 60 years. We are dedicated to serving the needs of our friends, family, and neighbors.