About our Emergency Department

Reaching New Heights in Patient Care

Nationally recognized for its exceptional emergency room care and performance, Valley Medical Center has long operated one of the busiest Emergency departments on the West Coast.  Ushering more than 75,000 patients through our doors each year, VMC’s Emergency Services South Tower opened in February 2010, nearly doubling capacity and taking patient care to a new level. We thank our community for their generous support to make this happen.

Valley Medical Center’s 45,000 sq. ft. Emergency Department was designed for the best patient experience possible:

• Increased privacy—Fully enclosed private treatment rooms offer patients and their families greater comfort and lessen potential exposure to infection. All 55 private treatment rooms are furnished with a TV and phone for patient use.
• Faster treatment—With nearly double the floor space, additional staff and four triage rooms, the ER is able to serve patients faster.
• State-of-the-art technology— Portable equipment brings basic X-ray to the patient’s room. From the iCT scanner in the department to bedside barcoding, we keep care close for your comfort and swift diagnosis.
• Improved parking—Two floors of free underground parking in the South Tower add 300 spaces and direct, covered access to the Emergency Room.

Driving directions

 

A Healing Space

Decorated with soothing colors and bathed in natural light, our new emergency room creates a healing environment for the comfort of our patients and their families. Private treatment rooms replace curtains, emphasizing dignity and patient safety, while flatscreen TVs and telephones help families stay in touch and relax. The physicians, nurses and medical technicians in our emergency department work closely as a team to monitor and care for you. All are certified in advanced cardiac life support. View video. 

 

Personalized Treatment

When you arrive through our front door, you may be taken direct to a treatment room or to one of our four private triage rooms where we assess your condition and evaluate your needs. For your comfort and support, up to two family members may accompany you. View video.

 

 

 

Trauma Center

Similar in look and feel to an operating room, VMC's ER contains two large resuscitation rooms, handling up to four patients and their trauma teams at once. As a Level III state-designated trauma center, VMC serves as back-up to Harborview in the event of a regional disaster. View video.

 

 

Technology at the Bedside

VMC's emergency room brings care to the patient, with bedside registration, radiology exams, computerized physician order entry and cardiac monitoring equipment in every room. View video.

State-of-the-Art Imaging

The new ER houses the first 256-slice CT scanner in Washington State, the Philips Brilliance iCT. A form of X-ray technology, this “CAT” scanner takes nearly four times the number of images of typical CT scanners, creating clearer, 3-dimensional views of internal structures and organs. When seconds count, VMC’s new system can guide a cardiologist to a blockage near the heart, identify collapsed veins in a diabetic patient’s foot, and locate even a tiny blood clot in the brain. View video.

 

 

Disaster Recovery

The new Emergency Services South Tower raises the Renton skyline—and elevates patient care and disaster preparedness for all of South King County. As South King County’s first disaster recovery facility, the South Tower is well-equipped to handle flooding, hazardous spills, earthquakes, bio-terrorism and other disasters. View video.

 

 

Emergency Response via Rapid-Access Helipad

VMC’s ER has the only helipad in the greater Seattle area with direct helicopter-to-ER access via a dedicated trauma elevator. In addition, rescuscitation rooms, surgery and critical care are also just steps away. VMC lies on a straight flight path just 5 minutes to Harborview, the state’s only Level 1 trauma center. View video.