Emergency Care
Get emergency medical attention right away — Barton Memorial Hospital’s Emergency Department specializes in providing emergency medical care and as a Level III Trauma Center, you receive prompt assessment by a highly-skilled team.
As the only ED (emergency department) on the south shore of Lake Tahoe providing medical care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, we are dedicated to providing exceptional care when you need it the most. Our Emergency Department has 12 beds and sees over 19,500 patients per year. The hospital has 63 beds, which includes an 8 bed ICU (Intensive Care Unit).
In the event of an emergency, call 9-1-1.
Services
Call 911 or go to the Emergency Department any time of day or night if you or someone else experience:*
- Allergic reaction (severe)
- Animal bites
- Bleeding that won’t stop
- Breathing problems
- Broken bones
- Chest pain or other heart attack symptoms
- Head, neck or spine injury
- Fever with another health issue, such as a weak immune system, recent surgery, or confusion
- Fever in adults over 75 and infants under 2 months
- Loss of consciousness (passing out)
- Poisoning
- Seizure
- Serious burns
- Severe injury
- Severe pain
- Sexual assault
- Sudden weakness, difficulty speaking or other stroke symptoms
- Thoughts of hurting yourself or someone else
- Vomiting or diarrhea that doesn’t stop
* This list is not all-inclusive; the above is just a sample of some of the services provided.
For less serious conditions, consider urgent care — a faster, more affordable alternative.
Level III Trauma Center
Barton Memorial Hospital is a verified Level III Trauma Center, a critical access point where patients will receive an increase in depth and speed of care.
Unlike other hospital facilities, trauma centers guarantee the resources for trauma care and the immediate availability of emergency medicine physicians, surgeons, nurses, lab and x-ray technicians, and life support equipment 24-hours a day. Trauma centers must meet, at a minimum, more than 160 different essential criteria established by the Committee on Trauma (COT) of the American College of Surgeons (ACS).
As a designated trauma center, we are committed to getting you the highest level of care as quickly as possible.
Transportation Options
Patients requiring more advanced medical services can be assured of the highest quality of critical care transport available in the Tahoe area. This is provided for critically ill patients by helicopter transport via CalStar, which is based at the South Lake Tahoe Airport or Care Flight, which is based in Gardnerville. Stable patients requiring services not offered at Barton can also be transported via ground ambulance with certified Paramedics.
