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Renown Health has three emergency rooms open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, ready to serve our community. We checked in with Amy Hawkins, Manager of Clinical Nursing at Renown South Meadows, to learn more about the emergency room experience and how each can accommodate your emergency care needs. 1. Renown Regional Emergency Room The emergency room at Renown Regional Medical Center is the only Level II Trauma Center between Sacramento and Salt Lake City, treating more than 80,000 ER and trauma patients annually. Services Offered: This location offers immediate emergency care covered by general surgeons and coverage by the specialties of orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, anesthesiology, emergency medicine, radiology and critical care. In addition, tertiary care needs include cardiac surgery, hemodialysis and microvascular surgery. (Patients may be referred to a Level I Trauma Center.) Renown Regional ER Location 2. Renown South Meadows Emergency Room South Reno is expanding, and so is Renown South Meadows ER! Exciting transformations are happening across this campus, including the new 121,000-square-foot specialty care center and upgrades to the existing medical center—expanding care to our patients. Added benefits to the more intimate setting at South Meadows: Smaller ER also means more personal experience. The team traditionally has more time to spend with each patient at the bedside. A smaller campus means convenient parking, as the ER is just outside the front entrance; however, patients are reminded to follow marked road signs when approaching the campus during construction. Most patients arrive by private vehicle versus an ambulance, so we are very accustomed to thinking quickly on our feet. Benefits to new construction: A new Cath lab will allow us to treat patients experiencing a heart attack and needing immediate intervention to open vessels in their hearts. Additional lab and imaging capabilities for our patients Services Offered: This location offers immediate emergency care staffed with board-certified emergency physicians. Patients can expect one-on-one interactions with trusted providers and shorter wait times. All emergency room services are open during construction, and patients are reminded to follow marked road signs when approaching the campus. South Meadows ER Location 3. Renown Children's Hospital Emergency Room This location offers immediate emergency care, with pediatric specialists always on staff. In addition, the Children's ER lobby is ideal for our littlest patients, with a child-friendly atmosphere and vibrant colors to help decrease the anxiety accompanying emergencies. Medical equipment is sized just for kids, and we offer a distraction machine, games and movies to help children cope with what can be a traumatic experience, like getting an IV. In addition, we have Child Life Specialists available to provide emotional support to both children and their families. When to Bring Your Child to the ER: Allergic reactions Asthma attacks Baby under three months old with a temperature higher than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit Broken bones Burns Choking or poisoning Difficulty breathing Eye injuries Fainting, dizziness and confusion Head injuries Heart attack Rashes Seizures Severe bleeding Severe headache Severe pain Skin infections Stitches Stroke Venomous stings and bites Renown Children's Hospital Location

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We’ve all experienced a pesky health issue at one time or another that, while not an emergency, is annoying nonetheless. Whether it be a respiratory illness like the flu, a cold or a minor injury such as a cut or a sprain, you have likely felt the need to get seen promptly to start feeling better as soon as possible. So, where do you go? What care team can you turn to? Answer: Renown Urgent Care. This dynamic department of doctors, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, medical assistants, radiology technologists, practice site leaders, patient access representatives and more sees patients every day of the year both in-person and via telehealth for a diverse list of acute health conditions. For patients who need quick yet non-emergent care, the ease and convenience of walking into a practice just a short distance away is a result of our talented team at our Reno, Sparks, Carson City, Fernley and Fallon Urgent Care locations. Immediate Care for Immediate Needs We can all agree that virtually no one enjoys being sick. When you walk into a Renown Urgent Care location (or log onto a telehealth visit), you are there for one reason: to get well. Your entire care team shares that exact same goal, from start to finish.  First, you walk into one of our ten Urgent Care locations and are quickly greeted by our friendly patient access representatives, otherwise known as PARs.  “As a PAR, we greet our patients at the front and welcome them into the clinic,” said Gillian Kitchell, Patient Access Representative Lead at Renown Urgent Care – Ryland. “We make sure we communicate their symptoms effectively and privately, and we have financial conversations with them as well. Most importantly, we implement compassion and kindness in our conversations to ensure patients feel at ease when they are in our care.”  “My role in urgent care is being the first face patients encounter when they walk in the facility,” added Denise Mosqueira, Patient Access Representative at Renown Urgent Care – Fernley. “We check in patients, print out doctor’s notes and handle the clerical side. We collect copays and payments for visits and create estimates for those who do not have active insurance or are choosing to opt out of their insurance for the visit.”  “From the moment a patient walks in the door, I try to make them feel comfortable and cared for, regardless of if they are age 2 or 102,” added Elizabeth Kienas, Patient Access Representative at Renown Urgent Care – Damonte Ranch. “A greeting and a smile with accurate demographic and intake allowing patients to get quick healthcare is the full circle goal. We want to get them back home and resting.”  Once you’re checked in and called back into the exam area, a medical assistant will guide you through checking your vitals and getting more information about the health issue you’re experiencing.  “As a Medical Assistant, my day is spent rooming patients, running patient tests (swabs), assisting providers with procedures and providing excellent patient care,” said Aleassa Roberts, Certified Medical Assistant at Renown Urgent Care – Fernley. “We also scan documents into patient charts, record patient results, schedule imaging appointments and provide wound care. Most days we also perform drug screenings, EKGs and various other smaller duties throughout the day. We provide immediate first aid for emergency patients and have a working relationship with our local EMS providers. Medical Assistants wear lots of hats in Urgent Care!”  “In Urgent Care, every day is different; in one day, we will see a variety of patients with all different symptoms,” added Chrystal Hartley, Certified Medical Assistant at Renown Urgent Care – Los Altos. “We are always busy running tests, sending out orders, drawing blood and helping assist with lacerations and procedures. Urgent care is fast paced.”  “My day is filled with rooming patients, testing them for illness and helping providers in any way I can,” added Erin Del Porto, Certified Medical Assistant at Renown Urgent Care – Fernley. “Every day can be a little different; it just depends on the day and the patient load. Before patients arrive, a normal day starts with setting up the clinic if it hasn’t been done yet, including checking the temperatures log, unlocking doors and getting the room ready. After that, I go about my duties with checking tests and supplies; then, I huddle with the team before the day starts.”  Soon after, your provider will come in and examine you, focusing on your specific concern and giving you laser-focused attention. Their goal is the same as yours: to get you feeling better as quickly as possible. Like any other routine provider’s visit, they will give you the best possible plan of care for your health issue, which may include rest, medications, tests or imaging. And you’ll have peace of mind knowing that the provider caring for you loves and thrives in their role at Renown Urgent Care.  “I love working in Urgent Care because we get to provide care for patients that don’t need emergent care but also can’t get in to see their primary care provider,” said Sarah Gentile, APRN, Nurse Practitioner for Renown Urgent Care. “We have the BEST team – and sometimes we even get snacks.”  If you end up needing to get imaging done, such as X-rays, our radiology technologists then step in to provide those diagnostic services.   “When I get here, I do warm-ups on the X-ray equipment and ensure everything is working properly,” said Steph Hawley, Outpatient Radiology Technologist at Renown Urgent Care – Fernley. “I keep an eye on the Urgent Care patient list and take a guess on which patients will likely need imaging. I also keep an eye on walk-in patients for imaging as well as orders from our primary care office. I wait for imaging orders to be put in, and then I begin the exam on the computer and go set up the room for whatever the exam may be. I will go get the patient from their room and take them to X-ray to complete the exam. Sometimes exams aren't easy or there are obstacles. I roll with whatever happens. I am a big fan of getting the exams done as quickly as possible while still getting quality imaging. I try and keep an eye on the rooms to see if maybe they need to be cleaned for new patients. Our medical assistants are always busy, so sometimes just a little bit could help them out. I also like to fix technical things around here when they are broken, such as computers and printers. I like to work with everyone to get patient care moving.”  “I am the radiology technologist for our Urgent Care on USA Parkway, so I take those X-rays when patients need them,” added Patricia Slupski, Outpatient Radiology Technologist for Renown Urgent Care – USA Parkway. “When I’m not busy doing my main role, I assist the patient access representatives in any way I can, from checking in patients, scheduling Occupational Health appointments, answering phone calls and sending out workers compensation paperwork to the employers.”  Overseeing it all and helping make the magic happen are the Practice Site Leaders. Under their leadership, each Urgent Care location runs like a well-oiled machine.  “I lead the team and help them in different areas that are needed,” said Rachel Hayes, Practice Site Leader for Renown Urgent Care – Damonte Ranch. “I make sure I deliver them with the most up to date information from our other departments and make sure they have all the tools they need to succeed. I support them and listen to them and make sure that everything runs smoothly.”  As you can see, each member of the Urgent Care team has an important role to play during your entire visit. They are all here to Fight the Good Fight with you as you continue on your road to recovery.

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