The Emergency Department staff appreciates your need to be with your family member or friend when they are facing an emergency.  The physical layout of the Emergency Department makes it very difficult to accomodate all of a patient's family and friends.  Therefore, we ask that you work together with the Emergency Department staff to allow them to provide patient care quickly, effectively and completely.

Please:

• Allow the Emergency Department personnel to have the first 15-20 minutes alone with the patient to gather necessary medical information.  After assessing the patient, x-rays or lab tests may need to be ordered.  Once these initial tests are performed, there is usually 30 minutes or more of waiting time for the results of these studies.  This "waiting time" is the ideal time for visitors to be invited to sit at the bedside of the family member or friend and contribute any additional information they may have.
• It is very important that visitors remain in the patient treatment room.
• Occasionally, circumstances make it inappropriate for any family or friends to be in the Emergency Department.  In addition, if an emergency occurs while you are at the bedside, you may be asked to leave the Emergency Department.  You will be allowed to return to the treatment room as soon as it is appropriate and safe.
• If more than one family member or friend has accompanied the patient to the Emergency Department, we will ask for one person to sit at the bedside.  If our patient is a child, both parents will be invited into the treatment room with the child.  We strongly discourage bringing children who are not sick or injured into the Emergency Department.