Emergency care
Emergency care is the treatment of unexpected, severe medical injuries or infections. It is typically delivered in an emergency room or an ambulance. Our emergency medicine physicians stabilize your condition as quickly as possible to prepare you for the next step of care or discharge.
Emergency Department (ED) in West Palm Beach, Florida
When every second counts, your family can rely on the Emergency Department at HCA Florida JFK North Hospital.
We deliver high-quality emergency care fast and conveniently located just off Interstate 95, near Mangonia Park. We also pride ourselves on keeping our wait times short so you quickly receive the care you need.
High-quality emergency care
Our emergency room staff includes specially trained physicians, nurses and technicians who are prepared to treat a wide variety of medical emergencies, including:
- Alcohol poisoning
- Appendicitis
- Asthma attacks
- Broken bones
- Concussions
- Heatstroke
- Heart attacks
- Strokes
Additionally, as a testament to our commitment to excellence, we received Primary Stroke Center certification from The Joint Commission.
Advanced technology for emergency care
Our Emergency Department uses advanced technology to ensure all patients receive seamless, high-quality emergency care.
Including an electronic medication administration record (eMAR) system to improve patient safety. Within the eMAR system, access is available to the patient's complete medication profile and accurately documents medicine administration in real-time.
Additionally, the Emergency Department documentation module (EDM) lets us document triage information, assessments, and interventions when a patient arrives. With information at our fingers tips, means we spend less time finding your data and more time providing you with the care you deserve.
Our emergency room wait times
When it comes to emergency care, our goal is to continually enhance the care you receive while reducing the wait times. Reducing your wait time ensures you get the care you need when you need it most.
Our wait times are updated every 30 minutes and are available on our website and digital screens on roadside billboards throughout the region.
To find out the wait times of the HCA Florida emergency room nearest to you, check the top of our website or text "ER" to 32222.
Note: Message and data rates may apply. Emergency room wait times are approximate and provided for informational purposes only.
When to go to the emergency room
We understand it can be hard to know what type of medical care you need, like whether you should go to the emergency room or wait for your doctor's office to open.
However, we want you to feel secure about your choice for care, which is why we've created a list of symptoms that may indicate you need to visit the emergency room:
- Back pain, when it is unbearable or accompanied by fever, numbness, weakness, confusion, slurred speech, vision loss or loss of control over bladder or bowels
- Broken bones, when the pain is severe or there is a visible deformity
- Chest pain, when it is crushing or squeezing and accompanied by other heart attack symptoms, such as shortness of breath or nausea
- Concussion, when you have lost consciousness, even briefly, or experience amnesia, vomiting, slurred speech or a seizure
- Flu, when symptoms become severe, such as having trouble breathing, vomiting uncontrollably or becoming dehydrated
- Side pain, when it is severe and occurs in the lower right stomach, side or back or is accompanied by fever, nausea, diarrhea or blood in the urine
- Stomach pain, when accompanied by a hard or tender stomach, nausea, shortness of breath, fever or irregular heartbeat
- Trouble breathing, when breathing stops, is noisy or high-pitched and comes with pain in the chest or severe shortness of breath
If you are unsure if your symptoms require an emergency room visit, you can speak to a nurse 24/7 by calling our Consult-A-Nurse® team at (888) 256-7694.
What to expect at the emergency room
Upon arriving at the Emergency Department, one of our triage nurses will assess your symptoms and vital signs when you get to the emergency room. Next, a registration clerk will collect your insurance card (if available) and other information.
We medically screen, evaluate and stabilize all patients — whether or not they have insurance or are able to pay.
Anyone who has severe, life-threatening illness or injuries will be seen and treated first. Everyone else will be seen and treated in the order they arrive.
Before discharge, we encourage you to ask our emergency care teams any questions you might have. It is also helpful for you to keep all of your paperwork, discharge information, medicines, and prescriptions together after you leave the emergency room.
What to bring to the emergency room
When coming to the emergency room, we recommend you bring:
- A list of medicines you currently take
- A list of known allergies
- Copies of results from recent medical tests, if available
- Personal care preferences and restrictions
- A responsible adult or phone number for someone to contact
Looking for a location?
Our Emergency care Locations
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