Emergency Department Care
Patty Hightower, RN, MSN, Director of Emergency Services and 2 North
Where do you go when something life threatening happens? Your local/regional emergency department should be your first thought when it comes to receiving immediate care. Patty Hightower, RN, MSN, Director of Emergency Services and 2 North, Holzer Health System and Tara Salyers, BSN, RN, CEN, Holzer Gallipolis Emergency Department Manager sat down to discuss when a patient needs to utilize the emergency department and when an individual may be able to use urgent care services.
Emergency care should be utilized when medical care is needed immediately for a serious or life-threatening injury. For example, broken bones, seizures, chest pain/pressure, deep/open wounds, severe and sudden pain, severe burns or bleeding, sudden shortness of breath, sudden dizziness, change in vision, and loss of coordination or balance. Healthcare professionals that work within emergency departments are responsible for administering life-saving care for patients. Within the three emergency departments at Holzer Health System, the biggest challenge is the internal flow of patient traffic. Despite what may seem like organized chaos to the outside world, the staff at each location works together to ensure patients are transported to where they need to be in a timely manner to receive the best care available.
Tara Salyers, BSN, RN, CEN, Holzer Gallipolis Emergency Department Manager
For those in need of emergency cardiac services, Holzer’s emergency departments offer leading technology available through the TeleStroke Network. This network utilizes video technology that directly links Ohio State Comprehensive Stroke Center specialists to Holzer patients and providers. Ohio State’s team can interview the patient, view test results, monitor vital signs and prescribe intravenous clot-buster medications to be administered within minutes.
Urgent care can be utilized for illness examples such as flu symptoms, migraines/headaches, infections, minor injuries, accidents/falls, fever over 101.5, broken fingers/toes, cuts that may require stitches, animal/insect bites, and anxiety and/or panic attacks. Many Holzer locations offer urgent care services to provide care for minor emergencies. “Utilizing urgent care for these types of health needs allows our emergency departments to concentrate on the individuals who come in with chest pain, trauma, and other life-threatening situations,” shared Hightower.
Both Hightower and Salyers went into emergency care because they enjoy caring for the community in a different way each day. Salyers said one of her biggest goals is to make the emergency department a place where people are not scared to go. “A lot of people will say, ‘I am afraid to go to the ER,’ said Salyers. “I always strive to make sure people trust our staff and know they can come to any of our ER locations and be confident in those taking care of them.”
Working at Holzer is a common goal that Hightower and Salyers always had. Both are heavily involved in their community and make it a priority to care for those who live and work within Holzer’s service areas.
“It’s essential to support the area where you live. For me, it’s important to work in the facilities that are provided in my community,” said Hightower.
Hightower has been at Holzer for 22 years. She began her career on the Medical/Surgical patient unit, and she later transitioned to the emergency department. Hightower resides in Oak Hill and enjoys spending time with her family, both work and personal, and crafting. Salyers has been working at Holzer for 14 years, and she too, resides in Oak Hill. She enjoys spending time with her two sons, Gauge, 9, and Cooper, 7 and her family.
Holzer Health System has emergency locations in Gallipolis, Jackson and Pomeroy, Ohio and urgent care sites in Athens ,Gallipolis, Jackson, and Pomeroy. For more information on our service locations, visit www.holzer.org or contact 1-855-4-HOLZER.
