In case of a serious accident or emergency, the first and most important thing to do is dial 9-1-1.

Chest pains. Uncontrolled bleeding. Severe burns.

Sudden events like these call for immediate medical care, no matter when they take place. For yourself and your loved ones, you expect highly skilled clinicians with advanced training, the latest diagnostic tools and techniques, and treatment delivered with a genuine, human touch - what we give each of our patients.

Lawrence General's Emergency Department is available 24/7, and sees more than 65,000 visits each year - more emergency patients than many Boston hospitals - making it one of the five largest in Massachusetts. Our clinical team's approach to care earns them high regard from their peers and, more importantly, the confidence and trust of the communities we serve.

Lawrence General is located near the crossing of Interstates 495 and 93, surrounded by Lawrence and several growing suburban communities. Our 65,000 visits a year, including a significant number of trauma cases, is so significant a number that the Hospital earned the distinction of being the first Level III Trauma Center in Massachusetts. In 2000, Lawrence General applied to the American College of Surgeons (ACS) to become a Level III Center. Once the ACS verified the Hospital's capability, the State Emergency Medical System - Region III in Northeastern Massachusetts, officially designated Lawrence General as a Level III Trauma Center.

Achieving Level III status demonstrates the depth of our clinicians' expertise and level of their experience. A trauma nurse coordinator and chief trauma physician monitor care. The Emergency staff excels at quickly assessing patients, stabilizing victims for transfer to more intensive facilities, and performing emergency procedures when a patient's condition demands immediate action.

Every nurse has training in Advanced Cardiac Life Support. General surgeons and anesthesiologists stand ready at a moment's notice, with trauma surgeons on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. From pre-admission to discharge, staff members provide every patient brought to Lawrence General with a steady hand and a keen eye, treating thousands of patients each year, while caring for each as an individual. Our Emergency team is known for innovation, like its work with clot-busting drugs that can help prevent massive damage during heart attacks.

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Sore throats. Small scrapes. Minor bumps and bruises.

Not every visit to the Emergency department requires the full services of the trauma team. For those needing non-emergency urgent care services, Lawrence General Walk-In Center provides prompt, professional ambulatory care, with no appointment needed.

Open 7 days a week, 9:00 AM - Midnight, the Walk-In Center is fully integrated within the Emergency Department, and staffed by physicians and clinical staff trained in emergency medicine. A triage nurse evaluates every patient on arrival, and determines whether care in the Walk-In Center is appropriate for the injury. If the need arises, the Emergency Room is only a door away, and with it the full resources of the Hospital's clinical patient team.

Another option for children's ailments is our Pediatric After Hours Referral Center. With a referral from your child's primary physician, your child can get a set appointment time in the evening and on weekends and holidays, 7 days a week. Your child's doctor or on-call service will schedule the appointment to see one of our pediatricians when you request the referral. Hours: Mon-Fri, 5:00 PM-11:00 PM; Sat, Sun, Holidays, 3:00 PM-11:00 PM.

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While the Emergency Department has the talent and technology to save lives, the staff relies on another group of equally talented clinicians to stabilize and assess patients on scene and en route to the Hospital. You've likely seen these teams in their large red and white vehicles bearing the words “Advanced Life Support.” The Advanced Life Support (ALS) Unit at Lawrence General provides veteran paramedics to assist the most critically ill and injured patients throughout the Merrimack Valley. With years of experience and advanced training, the ALS crews bring much of the Hospital's critical care technology to the patient, giving vital information and consulting with Emergency Department physicians to initiate treatments while en route to the Hospital.

Two ALS units are on call, 24 hours/day, seven days a week, and are managed under the direction of the state's Emergency Medical Services for the Northeast Region.

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In addition to Advanced Life Support and trauma care, Lawrence General plays a vital role in managing emergency services throughout the region by providing the home base for the area's Central Medical Emergency Direction (C-MED) office. C-MED manages ambulance and paramedic traffic from accident scenes to emergency departments, assuring an even distribution of patients based on severity of illness, geography, and available resources. The C-MED office at Lawrence General covers traffic for Region III, covering hospitals across Northeastern Massachusetts. During natural disasters or other large-scale incidents, C-MED is the central resource for coordinated emergency response.

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For victims of sexual assault, the physical and emotional injuries that result require clinicians who can offer comprehensive support. Lawrence General was the first hospital in Massachusetts to train and deploy extensively trained registered nurses as part of the Commonwealth's Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program. These specially certified nurses are on-call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to treat victims of sexual assault when they arrive in the Emergency department. Their training includes proper documentation of evidence in case the victim wishes to pursue legal action. Lawrence General's program provides clothing and other resources to assault victims when they leave the Hospital, and is one of the few in Massachusetts specially trained to treat children under 12.

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A key focus of Emergency Services at Lawrence General is in not just treating trauma and accidents, but preventing them from happening in the first place. The Trauma Nurse Coordinator manages trauma prevention activities, and the Hospital is active in many programs designed to educate the public in many areas of prevention. These include:

Automobile Safety

• Sponsoring safe driver displays at the Lawrence Registry of Motor Vehicles.
  
• Promoting car seat safety with help from local law enforcement officials, the Hospital has three nurses and one paramedic certified by the Massachusetts Governor's Highway Safety Council as Child Passenger Safety Technicians. The team performs car seat safety checks at the Hospital by appointment, on alternate Mondays. For more information, call (978) 683-4000, Extension 2627.
  
• Encouraging children to pledge to wear seat belts whenever they ride in a car - and to ask their parents to do the same.

Bicycle Safety

• Promoting Safety through annual program with Kiwanis International and AAA of Merrimack Valley.

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