CHI Saint Joseph Health - Saint Joseph Mount Sterling - Emergency Room

The ER is for serious or life-threatening conditions like chest pain, stroke symptoms, difficulty breathing, severe injuries or uncontrollable bleeding. For less severe issues like minor cuts, sprains or colds, urgent care may be more appropriate.

If you experience any life-threatening symptoms, a trip to the emergency room is necessary. These include:

• Shortness of breath

• Chest pain

• Loss of consciousness

• Sudden changes in speech

• Trauma

• Excessive bleeding

If you think you may be experiencing a life-threatening emergency, call 911 immediately. You can request that they take you to any CHI Saint Joseph Health emergency room.

Our comprehensive emergency care includes: 

• 24/7 coverage by emergency medicine physicians

• Registered nurses with specialized training and certifications 

• On-call specialists and referrals to other CHI Saint Joseph Health hospitals

• Onsite lab and imaging services

• Direct access and transport to the 24/7 cardiac catheterization lab at Saint Joseph Hospital for life-saving heart attack care

• State-of-the-art trauma bays for stabilization of injuries and transfer to nearby trauma centers, as needed

• All-private treatment rooms and triage areas to maximize your comfort

• Bedside electrocardiogram (EKG) for up-to-the-minute heart monitoring

Our specially trained staff can stabilize all critical illnesses and injuries that come through our doors. We also arrange for rapid transfer to designated trauma centers nearby, and help coordinate follow-up care.

No appointment is necessary. Our ER operates 24/7, providing care for emergencies whenever they arise.

Bring a photo ID, insurance card, a list of medications and any relevant medical records. If needed, bring someone who can help provide information about your condition.

A trip to the ER can make anyone feel anxious, but our emergency room is specially designed to put you at ease. With spacious reception and waiting areas, separate triage sections and private or semi-private treatment rooms, we do everything possible to maximize comfort for you and your family. After treatment, our nurses will walk you through your discharge instructions and answer any questions, streamlining the process so you can return home sooner.

At Saint Joseph Mount Sterling, we provide diagnostic services in a convenient and supportive setting, and staffed by caring technologists. We have an onsite lab and imaging services such as advanced, multi-slice CT, ultrasound and MRI to rapidly diagnose serious conditions.

In close partnership with local emergency medical teams, we provide coordinated, rapid-response care for patients showing signs of a severe heart attack, known as STEMI (ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction). If intervention is needed, we can immediately activate the cardiac catheterization team at Saint Joseph Hospital in Lexington, and patients can be transported by helicopter.

Before this program, getting heart attack victims from rural areas to a hospital with a cardiac catheterization lab was a challenge. Now, we’ve significantly reduced the time from the first symptoms to treatment, saving many more lives in the process.

We make follow-up care simple and stress-free through our extensive network of specialists. If you don’t have a primary care provider, we can connect you with a primary care provider at CHI Saint Joseph Health.

Admission depends on your condition. Many patients are treated and discharged, while others may require further care and hospitalization. If you need to be admitted to the hospital, your medical records will be immediately available to any of our health care providers who will be taking care of you.