What to Expect in the Emergency Room

Montefiore Medical Center provides exceptional emergency care services to the surrounding Bronx community and the greater New York metropolitan area.

The first and most crucial step to admitting a patient to the emergency department is triage. In order to maximize efficiency and minimize wait time, triage and registration process are combined. In triage, a highly skilled nurse consults with and evaluates patients, reviewing medical history and determining the severity of each case. There are several triage booths to expedite patient care.

Depending on their condition and needs, each patient is taken to the appropriate area within the Emergency Department at Montefiore. Specialized areas expedite patient treatment and allow them to return to their daily routines as quickly as possible.

For example, our Fast Track area is designated for patients with minor ailments such as ankle sprains, upper respiratory infections and minor injuries. Our "Wall of Oxygen" accommodates multiple nebulizers and allows asthma sufferers to bypass the waiting area and receive immediate treatment. The Psychiatric Emergency Room accommodates patients displaying uncontrolled behavior or experiencing hallucinations, manic episodes, major depression and suicidal thoughts.

For urgent care-such as life and limb threatening conditions and injuries-patients are brought to the main Emergency Room, where a team of board-certified and Emergency Medicine trained physicians, nurses and social workers collaborate to address various patient care needs including, abdominal or chest pains, trauma and acute migraines.