Flu Season Tips

Lynchburg General Hospital's Emergency Department is open 24 hours to serve
people who are seriously injured or ill and require immediate care.  A triage process is used to prioritize emergency care and identify patients requiring medical attention according to the nature and severity of their injury or illness.

Click on the links below for important information on:

1. How to handle an emergency.
2. Emergency information you can carry.
3. How to handle a pediatric emergency.
4. What to include in your family's first aid kit.

As a visitor, we realize you are anxious about your ill family member or friend. Since we have so many patients and visitors, we have developed the following guidelines for our visitors to ensure the best care for our patients:

• Please notify the volunteer at the front desk that you are a visitor.
• Tell the volunteer the name of the patient you have accompanied to the ER.
• The volunteer will assist you in getting an update on your family
  member or friend's condition. If the volunteer is not in the waiting room, check with the triage nurse for information. The charge nurse in the ER is responsible for notifying the volunteer or triage nurse when a patient is permitted to have a visitor.
• Our physicians prefer to examine the patient before we allow visitors in the treatment area. The exceptions are the elderly, who may have one visitor present at all times, and children, who may have both parents present at all times.
• If the patient has an emergency situation, the attending physician may request all family members or friends see the patient one at a time.
• A security officer is available near the triage area. If you are unable to obtain the information you need, please check with the officer. The security officer is responsible for operating the electronic door leading to the ER. Please allow the officer time to operate the door.
• We remind you that no smoking is allowed anywhere on the campus of Lynchburg General Hospital, or any Centra facility.
• We understand how difficult it is to wait for information. We want to make your waiting time as hassle-free as possible, and we welcome suggestions to improve our current visitor guidelines.
• Please note that when you call in to ask about a patient, we cannot give you a lot of information. Our hospital policy states that staff are only allowed to give a patient's status over the telephone. Further information should be obtained from an immediate family member or the patient's physician.

For more information on illnesses, diseases, prescription drugs, and more, visit our health content.