Emergency Services

You get in a car crash. Your father has a stroke. Your child can’t breathe in the middle of the night. As you race to the hospital, do you know what to expect? People throughout central Virginia depend on the emergency services at UVA. However severe your injuries or illness, we’re here. We have the expertise and the resources to treat the entire spectrum of patients, from infants to the elderly.

Trauma, Intensive Care, & Emergency Services

Our emergency services include:

• An adult emergency room where specialists can evaluate and care for your most critical needs
• A separate children’s emergency room and lobby, with dedicated care spaces
• A Level 1 trauma center, where surgeons and specialists care for you if you’ve been physically assaulted, in a car accident or experienced other trauma or injury
• Our poison call center, which can help with everything from accidental medication ingestions to snake bites
• Several intensive care units (ICUs), including pediatric, heart and surgical ICUs, which monitor and care for those who need life-supporting measures and close observation 

When Should I Go to the Emergency Room?

Call 911 immediately or go to your nearest emergency room if you or a loved one has any of the following symptoms:

• Injuries from an accident or fall
• Deep cuts or bleeding that won't stop
• Difficulty breathing
• Loss of consciousness
• Pregnancy-related problems
• Severe abdominal pain
• Heart attack symptoms, like chest pain, sweating, shortness of breath, or unusual nausea
• Stroke symptoms (remember BE FAST: balance issues, eye problems, facial drooping, arm weakness, slurred speeach - time to call 911)
• High fever and vomiting that continues nonstop for several hours
• Seizures
• Signs of meningitis: severe headaches, neck/joint pain and stiffness, vomiting, high temperatures, and cold extremities

When Should I Schedule Virtual Urgent Care?

Virtual urgent care provides video visits over a phone or computer when you need to see a doctor today for an issue that isn't an emergency, such as:

• Allergies, runny nose, sore throat, ear pain, sinus pain
• Asthma
• Rashes, small cuts, abrasions, burns, insect or animal bites
• Fever, cough, body aches, other cold- or flu-like symptoms
• Infections
• Upset stomach, diarrhea, nausea
• Urinary problems (urgency, burning when you urinate)
• Sprains, bone or joint pain unrelated to a major injury

Emergency & Trauma Care for Children

We offer emergency services for kids in a comforting, safe space. Read about our pediatric emergency and trauma care.