Emergency Care at Wellstar MCG Health Medical Center

The Emergency Department at Wellstar MCG Health Medical Center provides the highest level of emergency care to the Augusta community and its surrounding 13 counties. We are the premier emergency and critical care hospital, but we also treat other emergent conditions. Our skilled team provides a range of care in our 88-bed, state-of-the-art Emergency Department with areas dedicated to critical care and acute care, as well as a specialized Pediatric Emergency Department at Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia.

When your child needs emergency medical treatment or trauma care, the Pediatric Emergency Department at Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia is the area’s only emergency center dedicated to children. We provide advanced care to patients from birth to 21 years of age.

Comprehensive approach

No one plans a trip to the emergency room. When you arrive at the Wellstar MCG Health Emergency Department, know that no other hospital in the area provides the comprehensive emergency care we do. We strive for the best possible outcomes. No matter what brings you to us, we'll be the best part of your worst day.

• Emergency expertise: Our board-certified emergency medicine physicians work with trained emergency nurses to provide all types of urgent and emergent care.
• Critical care transport: We do real-time en-route conferencing with emergency medical services (EMS) and are often involved with your care even before you arrive at our Emergency Department. Patients are brought to us by ground transport or by helicopter through our AirCare program.
• AirCare: Our dedicated Wellstar AirCare helicopter services ensure rapid and safe patient transport in Georgia and South Carolina. Each aircraft has a pilot and two critical care professionals trained specifically for adult and pediatric patients. AirCare responds to both inter-facility and scene transports.
• Fast Track for non-emergencies: While our Emergency Department specializes in caring for emergencies, we are also well-equipped to address non-urgent patient needs. Our dedicated Fast Track area allows us to more efficiently treat patients seeking non-emergency care.
• Telehealth services: Wellstar offers extensive telehealth consults for less urgent medical problems. Our emergency Department professionals can evaluate patients virtually using our online platform. Rural hospitals in Georgia and South Carolina can also access the expertise of our emergency physicians through real-time telehealth support.

Achievement in advanced care

We are recognized for our commitment to patient care. Our accreditations tell patients that they can trust us to provide the care they need when they need it most.

• Comprehensive stroke center: Emergency physicians rapidly assess and diagnose stroke, working closely with neurologists and interventionalists to provide immediate access to advanced therapies including thrombolytics and catheter-based treatment. Our Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center is accredited by The Joint Commission, providing patients experiencing stroke with the highest quality of care.
• Chest pain center: Emergency physicians work closely with cardiologists to quickly diagnose heart attacks and provide treatment, including immediate access to catheter-based therapy such as angioplasty. We are fully equipped to receive all cardiac patients for treatment at Wellstar MCG Health. We were the first hospital in the CSRA to receive national accreditation as a Chest Pain Center with Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) and Resuscitation by the American College of Cardiology.
• Highest level trauma center: We care for more than 1,500 trauma patients each year. Emergency Department physicians work closely with our trauma team and other specialists to provide sophisticated resuscitation and definitive care to patients. Wellstar MCG Health is the only American College of Surgeons-verified Level I Adult Trauma Center in the region—the highest level—and Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia is the only Level II Pediatric Trauma Center.

Pioneering technology & training programs

Our Emergency Department uses advanced techniques and technology, including:

• Emergency bedside ultrasound: We are a national leader in emergency ultrasound, a technology that is used in all aspects of emergency care. Ultrasound decreases complications associated with medical procedures, guides resuscitation of critically ill and injured patients, and improves overall efficiency in the Emergency Department.
• Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) program: We have the area's only ECMO program. ECMO, which uses a heart/lung bypass machine to add oxygen to the blood and help pump oxygenated blood through a patient’s body, can be lifesaving in certain critical care situations.

When it comes to emergency training, our Emergency Department provides our community with outstanding programs and services. We are unique in that we offer:

• Emergency medicine training: As a major teaching hospital through our exclusive partnership with Medical College of Georgia, we are actively involved in training the next generation of emergency medicine professionals and leaders. We accept a small number of high-caliber emergency medicine residents per year, half of whom are civilians and half of whom are military. We are the only civilian hospital in the U.S. training active Army physicians in emergency medicine.
• Emergency medicine critical care training: We offer a two-year training program working with anesthesia critical care colleagues that provides additional education to emergency medicine physicians who manage complex critical care patients.
• EMS training: The Wellstar MCG Health Emergency Department trains your local paramedics and pre-hospital care providers. Our physicians also provide medical direction to the majority of ambulance services serving the greater Augusta area.
• Event medicine: Wellstar MCG Health provides medical support for local events, including major golf tournaments, the Augusta Southern Nationals drag boat race and the Ironman 70.3 Augusta triathlon, among others.