At St. Mary’s Good Samaritan, our Emergency Departments are staffed by experienced physicians who are trained in a full range of medicine, from trauma care to general pediatrics and adult medicine. Both Emergency Departments are designated as ‘Stand-By Emergency Departments for Pediatrics’ by the Illinois Department of Public Health.

To ensure consistent, quality treatment in critical situations, our Emergency staff follows established procedures for treatment of heart failure, stroke and pneumonia. The physicians in our Emergency Departments are supported by a staff of board certified specialists who provide consultations in areas such as Cardiology, Neurology, Orthopedics, and Radiology.

ExpressCare at Good Samaritan Regional Health Center is designed to reduce patient wait times.  Click here to learn more!

Our Emergency Departments participate in an objective survey process through Press Ganey to measure the results of patient satisfaction.  These survey results are compared with other participating hospitals throughout the United States.

Our Emergency staff uses the results of these studies to make changes to processes and improve patient care.  One result is our patient-focused E.D. visit, which follows these steps:

Assessment: A registered nurse (RN) assesses the severity of the patient’s condition. The patient is taken to a treatment room as soon as possible (often immediately). This process helps ensure that the doctors see the most ill or most severely injured patients first.

1. Initial exam: An RN examines the patient and begins any preliminary treatments or tests. For example, patients who present with injured extremities (arm, leg, ankle, foot, etc) may be sent immediately for X-rays.
   
2. Doctor evaluation: An ER physician examines the patient, makes an assessment, and determines provides instruction for any further testing or treatment that is required. 
   
3. Registration: A clerk visits the patient’s treatment area and obtains insurance and other personal information. 
   
4. Re-evaluation: The ER nurse and doctor re-evaluate the patient and explain all the results of the tests. They then decide whether to discharge the patient or admit to the hospital.  
   
5. Emergency Preparedness for Disaster / Industrial Accidents
   

Our Mt. Vernon campus serves as the Regional Resource Facility of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) for nine counties in Southern Illinois. Leaders from our Emergency Department coordinate the development of plans, training, and emergency-preparedness drills throughout Jefferson County, including personnel from the hospital, the Fire Department, the Police Department, paramedics of area ambulance and helicopter services, and other key groups from the region. This established disaster plan includes protocols to provide treatment for increased numbers of victims including those with burn, chemical exposure/respiratory distress, and other traumas.

A multi-disciplinary group of medical professionals from the hospital, in conjunction with representatives from the Fire Department, created a ‘Hazard Vulnerability Analysis’ to include businesses with potential industrial accidents. This plan has been enacted during emergency preparedness Disaster Drills at the Water and Sewer treatment plant which included traumas and chemical exposures. Another scenario for our routine Disaster Drills has included a chemical spill at an area school. Students and school personnel participate in the drills, which enables members of the disaster response team to provide care to patients of all ages.

St. Mary’s Good Samaritan uses a portable shower that is set up for ambulatory decontamination and utilizes custom-design cart items for immobile decontamination. The construction that is currently underway at our Mt. Vernon facility includes a fixed decontamination room that is accessible from the outside and connects directly into the Emergency Department after the decontamination is complete.