Emergency Services at Brooks Memorial Hospital
Brooks Memorial Hospital is classified as a Level II Emergency Service and provides round the clock medical care to those in need. The Brooks ED also serves as a “Stroke Spoke” through emergency stroke telemedicine services linked to the Gates Vascular Institute at the Buffalo General Medical Center. The Brooks Emergency Department is staffed by Board Certified Emergency Medicine Physicians, registered nurses and allied health care professionals 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Our ED physician is available to treat you or your own physician will be contacted. If you need the services of a specialist, a member of the hospital's Medical Staff is available on-call to treat you. All patient care services provided under the direction and control of an Emergency Services Director.
Just about everyone has visited an Emergency Department at some time in their lives. Maybe it was for a sprained ankle, a laceration, or a sick child. It could be a stroke, heart attack, or a motor vehicle accident. The Brooks Emergency Department is always there to provide care and to treat a broad spectrum of illnesses and injuries. We are there to provide the compassionate and personalized care that every patient is entitled to. Brooks works with nationally recognized Patient Satisfaction experts Press Ganey to survey ED patients at Brooks regarding the care they received during their ED visit.
The Brooks Memorial Hospital Emergency Department has 9 treatment areas, and almost 21,000 people visit the ED each year. More than 60% of people admitted to arrive via the ED, and the department’s electronic documentation system ensures continuity of care and a smooth transition to inpatient status. The PICIS ED PulseCheck is the most comprehensive and well-integrated emergency department information system (EDIS) in the industry and is a cutting edge solution to improve managing patient data and improving safety to everyone who visits that Brooks Memorial Hospital sees each year.
Templates within PulseCheck guide the caregivers to a list of appropriate questions to be answered depending on the patient's complaint. The medical staff is alerted when test results are available, and these results can be instantly cross-referenced to previous results. The new electronic system has safeguards to verify medication dosages and check for potentially dangerous interactions with other medications the patient is taking. It also eliminates problems with illegible handwriting. At the time of discharge, patients can get customized instructions and electronic prescriptions. Important patient information is available immediately, the system permits remote chart access for community physicians so they can securely access an ED patient's chart via the web. ED PulseCheck is completely HIPAA compliant and also provides information on the status of the entire ED, helping to improve patient flow and reduce patient waiting times.
To make your next visit to the Emergency Department a little easier, the Emergency Medicine physicians at Brooks Memorial Hospital have offered a few tips for when you need to visit the ER:
- Have a list of, or know about your medical history.
- Bring a list of medications you are taking.
- Know your allergies.
- When was your last tetanus shot?
- Females should know when their last menstrual period occurred.
- Do not eat or drink anything before the doctor examines you.
- Know that the ED staff cannot provide medical advice or give out any information over the phone.
- Please make arrangements for childcare before coming to the ED. If that is not possible, please watch the child you brought while the doctors and nurses are taking care of your family member or friend.
When you arrive in the ED, you will undergo a brief triage, or screening interview, to help determine the nature and severity of your illness. There are 3 triage levels which include Emergent, Urgent, and Non-Emergent. Emergent patients have a life threatening injury or illness and must be treated immediately or may be at risk of losing life or limb. Urgent patients can safely wait for treatment, but need to be seen or their injury or illness could worsen. Non-emergent patients have an injury or illness that is not life threatening and could safely wait to be treated without the risk of the condition becoming worse. Patients are cared for based on their triage level, not on a first-come, first-served basis. This can be a little frustrating for the non-emergent patient, but it could be the difference between life and death for the emergent patient. The nursing staff often re-assesses patients who are waiting to be seen. If your condition worsens while you are waiting, please notify the ED staff. If an extended waiting time is anticipated, the ED staff will inform those waiting of the reason for the delay.
For more information about the Emergency Department at Brooks Memorial Hospital, contact the Emergency Department Clinical Nurse Manager at (716) 363-7297. If you are experiencing an emergency, dial 9-1-1.
Brooks Memorial Hospital
529 Central Ave.
Dunkirk, New York 14048
Driving Directions »
Hours of Operation:
- 24/7
