Emergency Care

During a medical emergency, trust UNC Health Rockingham for 24/7 expert treatment that could save a life.

When to Seek Emergency Care

Call 911 or go to your nearest emergency department (ED) immediately if you or someone else experiences:

• Bleeding that will not stop
• Breathing trouble
• Broken bone
• High fever
• Intense pain
• Loss of consciousness
• Moderate to severe burns
• Pain in the chest, arm, or jaw
• Poisoning or drug overdose
• Seizure
• Severe dizziness or vertigo
• Suicidal thoughts
• Stroke symptoms
• Traumatic injury
• Vomiting that will not stop

Visit Urgent Care for Less Serious Symptoms

Choose urgent care for more affordable treatment of everyday injuries—conditions that do not threaten a life, organ, or limb.

Pain Management

If you visit the ED with pain, trust your doctor to provide alternative medicines to opioids whenever possible. You’ll find effective pain relief with less risk of addiction.

Timely Care for Everyone

Because our ED is small, you can look forward to timely, personalized care—regardless of ability to pay. Compared to similar hospitals, UNC Health Rockingham:

• Offers you shorter wait times for imaging tests
• Sees a lower percentage of patients leave without treatment because we care for everyone as soon as possible

Expert Care Team

You benefit from UNC Health Rockingham’s highly trained emergency team, which has certifications and years of experience in areas such as:

• Advanced cardiovascular life support
• Advanced trauma life support
• Emergency nursing
• Pediatric advanced life support

That means the doctors and nurses have training to help revive you or your seriously ill loved one of any age. Because the professionals are also your neighbors, you can rest assured that they’ll give you the best possible service.

Chest Pain Response

When you come to the ED with heart attack symptoms, you’ll get an electrocardiogram (EKG) and lab tests within minutes to diagnose your condition. If results show you’re having a heart attack, your care team will transfer you to a nearby hospital that performs angioplasty. This treatment opens blocked heart arteries to stop a heart attack.

Fast Telestroke Assessment

Expect prompt care if you arrive at the UNC Health Rockingham ED with stroke symptoms. Within minutes, you’ll undergo a computed tomography (CT) scan to see how blood is flowing to your brain. You’ll also get a timely evaluation from an offsite neurologist by video and audio to determine next steps in your care.

Stroke Treatment

If you get a diagnosis of ischemic stroke, you may receive fibrinolytic therapy intravenously to dissolve the clot blocking the brain’s blood supply. This medicine can stop the stroke if given within a few hours after symptoms start.

If you do not qualify for fibrinolytic therapy, your care team may transfer you to a hospital that can perform mechanical thrombectomy. This treatment threads a tiny device into your blood vessels to remove the stroke-causing clot.

Behavioral Health Emergencies

Seek emergency medical attention if someone is at risk of harm due to mental illness. If necessary, the UNC Health Rockingham ED will give psychiatric medications to ease symptoms. You or your loved one can also get help transitioning to a hospital with comprehensive behavioral health care.