Emergency Services at Rhode Island Hospital

Emergency Services at Rhode Island Hospital

Welcome to the Andrew F. Anderson Emergency Center at Rhode Island Hospital. We know that a visit to the emergency room can be stressful and challenging. We hope our web site will answer some of your questions and make your visit as smooth as possible. The emergency department and its staff are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Our team is dedicated to providing the very best service and highest quality medical care. 

The Andrew F. Anderson Emergency Center is the only Level I Trauma Center in southeastern New England, where we see the region's most critically injured and most severely ill people – about 110,000 annually.

Major Patient Care Areas

• Acute care: Designed for patients with non-life-threatening injuries or illnesses, but who need urgent care.
• Critical care rooms: Equipped so that the team can care for patients with life-threatening illnesses or injuries. Patients can be tested using CT scan, echocardiography, x-ray and electrocardiography.

Specialty Care Areas and Accommodations for Families

• Chest pain unit: Patients admitted for observation for chest pain can be tested, treated, monitored and discharged within 23 hours. Patients can receive stress tests, CT scans, echocardiography, x-ray and other necessary tests in this center.
• Stroke treatment: The only Comprehensive Stroke Center in the region, providing rapid access to care for complex strokes and a stroke observation protocol.
• Team triage: During peak hours, a nurse, physician, physician's assistant, nurse practitioner, patient care technician, registrar and others will be in triage rooms. One of them will check your vital signs and possibly perform EKGs, x-rays, and lab tests, as well as administer necessary medication.
• Three acute care areas with 16 beds each, all designed for a broad variety of patient needs.
• Decontamination room: Equipped for patients who have been exposed to toxic chemicals or biological hazards. The staff has extensive training in hazardous materials and keeps current through numerous drills every year. The hospital is equipped to accommodate multiple patients at a time and also has two decontamination tents.
• Diagnostic imaging: A complete range of diagnostic and interventional procedures in general radiology and in subspecialty areas.
• 25-bed behavioral health unit: For patients who require psychiatric observation during their emergency center visit.
• Private family room: Located off the lobby, the private family room allows families of critically ill patients and/or grieving families privacy and quiet.
• Free patient parking conveniently located beneath the emergency center.

Primary Care Physicians and Family Practice Physicians 

At the Andrew F. Anderson Emergency Center, we make every effort to keep primary care physicians and family practice physicians informed of their patients' conditions and treatments.

Our Visiting Philosophy  

We encourage your loved ones to be with you throughout your stay in the Anderson Emergency Center. There may be times, however, when we may need to ask family and friends to wait outside the treatment area. If this happens, our staff, with your permission, will do their very best to keep your guests informed. Our social workers are available for additional family needs, and our case managers assist with both inpatient and outpatient services.

What to expect when you get here (PDF)