Despite their best efforts, UW Medicine has not yet been able to reach fair and sustainable agreements with Aetna that ensure continued access to care and are in the best interests of patients. Effective June 1, 2025, UW Medicine’s contracts with Aetna for Medicare Advantage and Commercial services have expired and we are now out of network with Aetna. Learn more about what this means for you and what you should do next.
Emergency Services & Level III Trauma Center
Reaching Remarkable Heights in Emergency Care
If you are experiencing a critical or life-threatening medical emergency, please call 9-1-1.
Nationally recognized for our exceptional emergency care and quality performance, Valley has long operated one of the busiest Emergency departments on the West Coast. Welcoming more than 75,000 patients through our doors each year, VMC’s 45,000 square foot Emergency Services South Tower takes patient care to the next level. Valley Medical Center’s 45,000 sq. ft. Emergency Department was designed for the best patient experience possible:
- All private rooms—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.
- 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.
- Easy, free parking—Two floors of free underground parking in the South Tower offer 300 spaces and direct, covered access to the Emergency Room.
Campus Map & Visitor Guide
The closest parking is in Parking G, located in the South Tower underground garage on 43rd Street, directly below the Emergency Department. Enter the garage from the east or west sides of the South Tower. Limited, temporary parking is available in front of the ED for patient drop-off if needed.
Parking is FREE for patients and guests.
- Self-park/East: After the stop sign at the end of the overpass tunnel, continue on and take your first right. Follow the driveway past the 43rd Street South entrance to the east side of the building. Watch for the Parking G entrance and ramp down to underground garage on your left. It comes up quickly! See map.
- Self-park/West: After the stop sign at the end of the overpass tunnel, continue on and drive past two driveways. The entrance to Parking G west underground parking will be on your right. Look for the lane marked "Entrance." See map.
If you're experiencing an emergency or are in immediate danger, please call 9-1-1. If you are in one of our clinics or in the main hospital, you can ask to speak to a team member to receive confidential help.
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Struggling with thoughts of harming yourself?
Feeling hopeless or in despair? Help is available 24 hours a day at the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline:
- Call or text 988
- Chat or text online at 988lifeline.org
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Feeling unsafe at home?
Are you or someone else being harmed or controlled by a partner or others? Help is available 24 hours a day at the National Domestic Violence Hotline:
- Call 800.799.7233
- Text 88788
- Chat with an advocate at TheHotline.org
Report abuse of a vulnerable adult to Adult Protective Services (APS):
- Call 877.734.6277
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Are you being forced to work against your will?
Is someone controlling where you go or who you talk to? Help is available 24 hours a day at the National Human Trafficking Hotline:
- Call 888.373.7888
- Text 233733
- Chat online at HumanTraffickingHotline.org
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Worried about the safety of a child?
Need help with reporting child abuse? Help is available 24 hours a day at ChildHelp:
- Call or text 800.422.4453
- Chat with a counselor at ChildHelpHotline.org
Report child abuse to Child Protective Services (CPS):
- Call 800.363.4276
Valley Medical Center is designated as a Safe Haven for newborns who are in danger of abandonment. We encourage a parent considering abandonment to leave their baby in safe hands.
- Crisis Hotline: 1.888.510.BABY
Symptom Checker
Symptom checker makes it easier to determine what to do when you develop medical symptoms. Symptom checker is available for both adults and children.
While it does not offer medical advice, symptom checker can help you understand potential causes, leading you through the decisions to make and the steps to take to feel better faster.
Mobile App
Available for the iPhone and Android smart phones.
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.
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.
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.
Technology at the Bedside
VMC's emergency department brings care to the patient, with bedside registration, radiology exams, computerized physician order entry and cardiac monitoring equipment in every room.
State-of-the-Art Imaging
When seconds count, VMC’s imaging systems 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.
Disaster Recovery
The 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.
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, resuscitation 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.
