If you require immediate medical attention, call 911.

In an emergency, seconds matter. Access to experienced healthcare professionals and the latest technology can mean the difference between life and death. 

Fortunately, the highest-quality emergency care is right here in the Bronzeville community. Insight Chicago’s Emergency Center is staffed around the clock by board-certified emergency medicine doctors and is equipped to handle the most serious medical emergencies. Insight is an accredited stroke center and chest pain center. Our state-of-the-art facility allows our providers to make fast, accurate diagnoses and provide prompt treatment in a calm and compassionate setting. No matter what brings you or your loved one to the Emergency Center, Insight has the specialized services, experienced staff, and advanced equipment to handle the situation. 

Insight Chicago’s state-of-the-art Emergency Center offers comprehensive emergency services in a spacious, private, and compassionate setting. The center features 25 private treatment suites, two nurses’ stations, spacious waiting areas, private triage areas, and a six-bay ambulance area with private entrance. One of the treatment suites is also a “decontamination” room that can be used in the event of an emergency involving chemical exposure. 

Beyond the Emergency Center

At Insight Chicago, we treat the whole person. That means continuing to treat you beyond your emergency care. From offering assistance to locate a primary physician, coordinating outpatient services or follow-up care, or connecting with community resources, onsite patient advocates and social workers connect patients with care beyond what is needed in the emergency room. Careful attention is given to educating the patient on their condition and any follow-up care that may be needed.  

The Right Place to Be

With more than 43,000 visits a year, the Insight Chicago Emergency Center is one of the busiest emergency departments in the city – yet each patient receives timely and attentive care. Our doctors and nurses are sensitive to the diverse populations we serve and are attuned to the unique needs and fears these patients may bring to the Emergency Center. 

In an emergency, you don’t want to worry about the quality of care. Rest assured that if you or a loved one ever requires emergency care, Insight’s Emergency Center is here to provide the most advanced care available.

Emergency Stroke Center

In the event of a stroke, timeliness of care is critical. Rapid diagnosis and prompt treatment can help prevent disability or even death. As one of the few designated stroke centers in Illinois, Insight offers a sophisticated and comprehensive approach to caring for stroke patients – and it all starts in the Emergency Center. Our staff is trained to recognize the signs of stroke and to implement Insight’s advanced stroke treatment protocol. If someone is identified as a stroke patient, a CT is performed within 30 minutes to determine the type of stroke and, subsequently, the best course of treatment. There is also a neurologist on call 24 hours a day to guide treatment of stroke patients. 

To improve best-practice protocol, Insight participates in numerous clinical studies. If you seek stroke care at Insight within six hours of the onset of symptoms, you may be a candidate for one of several new early treatment options. 

Emergency Heart Care

Rapid response is also critical when it comes to matters of the heart. With more than half of Emergency Center admissions related to chest pain, Insight’s emergency medicine team has considerable expertise in recognizing the signs of a cardiac emergency. All emergency center staff are trained to implement Insight’s advanced care protocols. The Insight cardiac catheterization lab is available 24 hours a day to address emergency heart care needs and cardiologists are on call around the clock to guide treatment. 

Insight Chicago ranks in the 90th percentile nationwide for response times to heart attack patients. In most patients, procedures such as an angioplasty or cardiac catheterization will take place within 90 minutes of arrival. The time to an EKG is just 10 minutes after arrival, while the patient benchmark is 11 minutes.

Fast Track Care

The Insight Chicago Emergency Center utilizes a fast track program to ensure patients requiring immediate attention receive it in a calm and expedited manner. Upon arrival at the Emergency Center, all patients will be assessed and interviewed, or triaged. At that time, patients are assessed for potential fast track care and then admitted accordingly. This program helps to reduce wait times and anxiety levels for patients needing advanced emergency care. 

All Insight Chicago Emergency Center physicians are board certified or board eligible in Emergency Medicine. Many of the providers on staff are leaders in the field and speak to national audiences on emergency medicine topics. 

As a teaching hospital, Insight Chicago is an important training ground. Medical residents from the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine work under the direct supervision of their attending physicians. Since its inception, Insight has trained thousands of exceptional physicians. Visit any city in the country and there is a good chance you will encounter a leading physician who was trained at Insight. We are proud of our long tradition of teaching experts. 

A multi-lingual, cultural, and diverse group of doctors, nurses, and clerks staff the Emergency Center at Insight Chicago. When our staff is unable to personally provide translation services, we utilize a 24-hour language line. This ensures all patients receive quality and comforting care. Each of our nurses are also certified in advanced critical life support and pediatric advanced life support.