Our Emergency Room and Urgent Care locations are seeing very high demand. Long wait times can be expected. Please contact your child’s primary care provider first and they will help decide where you should go for care. One adult may accompany patients in Children’s Emergency Department waiting area. A second adult may join when the child is moved to an exam room.
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Emergency Room Wait Times
The emergency department at Children’s Nebraska treats children and young people up to age 21 who need immediate medical care. We are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Our emergency department is prepared to handle any infant, child, or adolescent’s medical emergency. We have patient-sized equipment to tailor our care to your child. This includes everything from the size of our beds to our lifesaving defibrillators customized for children to child-sized blood pressure cuffs. We also provide medications appropriate for a child’s age and weight, with systems in place to assure quick access to the highest level of care.
These things and many more make it possible for our physicians and nurses to provide the best care for our patients.
Our physicians and nurses are specially trained in pediatric emergency medicine and have additional expertise in easing your child’s anxiety or concerns that might come with emergencies. They are skilled at:
- Explaining what is happening to your child during treatment
- Understanding that children often react differently than adults to medical settings
- Providing instruction on how to care for your child when you get home
- Assessing the unique treatment needs of children and teenagers
What Sets Children’s Apart?
We are the only emergency department in the region that focuses solely on pediatric care. And we are certified by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS) in three modes of transporting critically ill neonatal and pediatric patients: ambulance, airplane, and helicopter.
Level II Trauma Center
Children’s Emergency Medicine has been designated a level II pediatric trauma center by the American College of Surgeons (ACS). We are the only ACS-verified hospital in the region that is dedicated to solely to pediatric care.
As a level II trauma center, we provide:
- 24-hour immediate coverage by a wide range of medical specialists
- Trauma prevention and continuing education programs for our staff, which ensures that your child will always be receiving the most advanced, up-to-date care
Conditions We Treat
Emergency Departments (EDs) are for people with life-threatening needs. Take your child to an ED (Emergency Department) anytime you think the problem needs immediate attention.
Take your child to the ED for the following conditions:
- Shortness of breath or trouble breathing
- Blue or purple lips, skin, or fingernails
- Chest or stomach pain or pressure
- Seizures
- Animal, snake, or human bites
- Severe bleeding or burns
- Head, spinal cord or eye injuries
- Infants under 2 months of age with a fever
- Signs of allergic reaction such as hives; swelling of the face, lips, eyes, or tongue; fainting or trouble breathing
- Uncontrolled pain
Not sure if your child should be seen by their pediatrician, urgent care, or our emergency department?
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Tests, Treatments, And Services Available
- Radiology and laboratory services: Imaging tests (e.g., X-rays, computed tomography scans) and lab tests (e.g., blood draws or urine samples) allow us to check for signs of broken bones, tumors, or signs of illness.
- Child life: Child life specialists help you and your family navigate the hospital and manage the stress that comes with an emergency. They make the hospital a more positive and less frightening place for your child.
- Respiratory therapy: Respiratory therapists assess, treat, and monitor your child if they have heart or lung problems that may require breathing assistance with a ventilator (machine to help breathe) or medical gases (e.g., oxygen).
- Social work: Social work staff members provide emotional support and counseling, as well as advocate for you and your child.
- Pastoral and spiritual care: Clinically trained chaplains are available at all times to provide spiritual care to you and your child.
- Case management: Your child’s needs will be assessed and continually monitored. We will work with various specialists to implement a treatment plan designed to meet your child’s unique needs.
Our Specialists
What To Do Next
For Patients
Patients do not need a referral to come to the emergency room. Call 9-1-1 if you need emergency transportation to the hospital.