Emergency care
Emergency care is the treatment of unexpected, severe medical injuries or infections. It is typically delivered in an emergency room or an ambulance. Our emergency medicine physicians stabilize your condition as quickly as possible to prepare you for the next step of care or discharge.
Emergency room (ER) in Richmond, Virginia
When you need emergency medical services, you deserve compassionate, expert care.
The emergency department at Chippenham Hospital handles your medical emergencies, from breaks and sprains to heart attacks and strokes. We're driven by a common goal — to efficiently and effectively treat you during life's most trying moments.
Mental health emergency care
If you think you or a loved one may need mental health care, Tucker Pavilion can help — call our 24-hour behavioral health access line.
If you think you or a loved one may need mental health care, Tucker Pavilion can help — call our 24-hour behavioral health access line.
Related specialties
Learn more about our related specialties.
Emergency medical services we offer
Our team is standing by to offer you expert emergency care aided by the latest technology, allowing us to diagnose and treat you with speed and ease.
Our emergency department
Our emergency room is designated as a Level I Trauma Center and provisional Level I Burn Center, certified as a Primary Stroke Center and accredited as a Chest Pain Center.
Advanced heart attack care
Many people can experience warning signs of a heart attack hours, days or even weeks in advance of an actual cardiac event. So cardiologists at our Levinson Heart Institute offer many heart imaging services to intervene early and help prevent future heart attacks, whenever possible.
If you think you might be at risk for a cardiac event, you can take our heart health assessment.
Intensive care services
Intensive care, also referred to as critical care, includes 24/7 monitoring if you have a life-threatening injury or disease. We offer this care in a variety of department-based intensive care units (ICUs), including:
- Cardiovascular ICU (integrated with our cardiovascular step-down unit)
- Coronary ICU
- Medical surgical ICU
- Pediatric ICU (PICU)
Mental health emergencies
A mental health crisis can be frightening and challenging, for you and your family and friends. To best treat behavioral health crises as they arrive, our emergency department is supported by our mental health program's professionals. This team is available 24/7 to provide crisis assessment and intervention services for children, adolescents, adults and geriatric patients.
Non-life-threatening emergencies
Our FastTrack ER is an extension of our main emergency department. It is designed to care for anyone two years old and older with medical conditions that are not emergencies but require treatment within 24 hours.
Use the emergency entrance and check-in area for our FastTrack ER, which is open from 7:00am to 11:00pm, every day.
Pediatric emergency care
The emergency room can be a scary place for kids. That’s why our pediatric emergency department is separate from the main emergency room. It offers an environment designed to comfort and care for children. This kid-specific unit is staffed 24/7 with board-certified pediatric specialists. It includes special equipment and services for your little one in their hour of need.
Stroke care
Our expert doctors use on-site examinations and telemedicine capabilities to enhance their stroke care. This provides you with real-time interactions and improves our communications with other medical staff.
Additionally, we can quickly access neurologists at our sister facility, Johnston-Willis Hospital. They can analyze your condition and collaborate to make informed decisions about your care.
Many people who experience a stroke don't even know they had one until much later. Find your stroke risk by taking our stroke risk assessment.
What to expect in the emergency room
Our emergency staff is committed to providing you and your family with high-quality, cost-effective emergency care. We want you to know what to expect when you enter our hospital and make sure your stay is as comfortable as possible. To do that, we will communicate with you clearly at each step, from registration through treatment and discharge home.
For your convenience, our emergency department offers complimentary valet parking and free Wi-Fi.
Emergency room wait times
Check the top of our website or text "ER" to 32222 to find out the wait times of the HCA Virginia Health System emergency room closest to you.
Note: Message and data rates apply. Emergency room wait times are approximate and provided for informational purposes only.Emergency symptom checker
If you have any of the conditions below and they are accompanied by fever, trouble breathing or dizziness, we suggest you get emergency treatment.
Chest pain
Some signs you should go to the emergency room for chest pain include:
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
- Fast or irregular pulse
- Pain that spreads from the chest to the neck, jaw or arms
- Shortness of breath
- Unusual fatigue
- Other signs of a heart attack
Concussion or head injury
If you have experienced an injury to the head or a concussion, you should go to the emergency room if you:
- Feel dazed or confused
- Lose consciousness or memory, even briefly
- Have a seizure
- Have a severe or worsening headache
- Slur your speech
Flu stomach flu and severe colds
Signs you should go to the emergency room with these conditions include:
- Extreme loss of body fluids (dehydration)
- Trouble breathing
- Other complications, such as pneumonia
Consult our cold, flu and stomach flu symptoms chart for more information.
Severe stomach pain
For severe stomach or abdominal pain, you should come to the emergency room if you also have:
- A stomach that is hard or tender to the touch
- Irregular heartbeat
- Pain in your chest, neck or shoulder
- Shortness of breath or dizziness
Side pain
For severe side or abdominal pain, you should come to the emergency room if you also have:
Blood in the urine or pain during urination, especially if you have had a recent urinary tract infection (UTI)
- Dizziness
- Extreme constipation
- High fever
Trouble breathing
If you are having trouble breathing, you should come to the emergency room, especially if you also have:
- Back, chest or arm pain
- Breathlessness that doesn’t stop after 30 minutes of rest
- Extreme fatigue
- High fever, chills and cough
- Noisy, high-pitched and rapid wheezing
- Swelling in your feet and ankles
Other reasons to come to the emergency room
You may need to go to the emergency department if you have persistent or bloody diarrhea, sputum (what comes up when you cough) or vomiting.
If you aren't sure whether you or a loved one should seek emergency medical care or wait for your doctor's office to open, you can contact a nurse 24/7 by phone at (833) 521-3627.
Reassuring your child about the ER
This video can help your child feel more comfortable about their visit to our ER.
Looking for a location?
Our Emergency care Locations
The Healthy Living Blog
Read our blogs to learn about preventive care and ways you can lead a healthier lifestyle.