UnityPoint Health - Marshalltown Hospital Emergency Department
Information
Number of patients waiting reflects the current number of patients waiting to be seen. This number changes frequently and is not exact.
Emergency Services
When you have a medical emergency every minute counts. Call 911 and tell first responders to take you to UnityPoint Health – Marshalltown. Our Emergency Department is open 24/7. As a Level IV trauma center, we have an ER team that's specially trained to respond rapidly to any healthcare emergency.
Our ER team deals with all sorts of critical situations on an everyday basis, so they have experience when it matters most.
Few experiences are more stressful than a trip to the emergency room. That's why our staff makes every effort to make your visit as comfortable as possible.
What Type of Appointment Do I Need?
Primary Care encompasses the comprehensive treatment of a number of diseases in symptoms and specialties including pediatrics, internal medicine and family medicine. Rather than specializing in one particular area of medicine, the physician is trained to meet all the needs of patients as one point of contact. Same-day appointments may be available. Call your clinic or log in to MyUnityPoint to schedule with your provider or a member of their care team.
Examples of symptoms and conditions treated by a primary care provider can include:
- Allergies
- Cancer screenings (for select cancers)
- Disease management (asthma, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, etc.)
- Long term care or treatment planning
- Managing existing conditions (migraines, depression, anxiety, arthritis, etc.)
- Medication refill and medicine checks
- Minor medical problems and injuries
- Ongoing symptoms (continued back pain, skin problems, etc.)
- Physicals/sports physicals
- Substance abuse
- Vaccinations
Urgent Care and Express treat minor medical problems and injuries that are not life-threatening, but need the attention of a health care provider. These are not an alternative to the emergency room, but offer the ability to get walk-in care without an appointment for all patient ages. Urgent Care is available after hours, weekends and holidays. Our Urgent Care Clinics can provide medical treatment for minor illness and injuries such as:
- Allergies
- Burns
- Colds
- Coughs
- Cuts (Stitches)
- Earaches or Ear Infections
- Fevers
- Minor Medical Problems and Injuries
- Minor Eye Care
- Flu
- Fractures (X-Ray On-Site at Most Locations)
- Infections
- Sore Throats
- Sprains, Including Sprained Ankles (X-Ray On-Site at Most Locations)
- Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs)
- Yeast Infections
- Certain Rapid Tests
Please note: Flu shots, physicals and/or sports physicals are not offered at every urgent care location.
*If you are experiencing chest pain or shortness of breath, please go to the Emergency Department or call 911 immediately. For less serious medical issues, such as physicals, medication refills or to leave a message for your primary care doctor, you can access your My UnityPoint patient portal 24/7!
Connect with a UnityPoint Health provider online using MyUnityPoint to access virtual urgent care. Virtual care doctors can diagnose, recommend treatment and prescribe medication when necessary for commonly treated conditions. Available every day, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. for individuals 2 years and older located in Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska and South Dakota.
Virtual care should be used for minor, common ailments and illnesses. Some examples, and the qualifying age to receive virtual urgent care for that condition, include:
| Condition | Virtual Urgent Care |
|---|---|
| Acne | 2+ |
| Burn | 2+ |
| Cold/Flu | 2+ |
| Cold Sores | 13+ |
| Constipation | 2+ |
| Cough/Upper Respiratory Infection | 2+ |
| Diarrhea | 2+ |
| Fever | 2+ |
| Head Lice | 2+ |
| Heartburn | 2+ |
| Headache/Migraine | 18+ |
| Joint Pan | 2+ |
| Rash | 2+ |
| Red Eye | 2+ |
| Sinuses | 2+ |
| Sore Throat | 2+ |
| Urinary Tract Infection | 13+ (female only) |
| Vaginal Infection (yeast/bacterial vaginosis) | 18+ |
| Vomiting | 2+ |
Emergency rooms are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week for severe or life-threatening conditions. Conditions that require emergency care include excessive bleeding, broken bones, chest pain or trouble breathing. Emergency services include diagnostic testing and access to specialists.
Examples of symptoms and conditions treated by emergency departments can include:
- Symptoms of a heart attack, including severe chest pain, sweating and shortness of breath.
- Profuse bleeding or blood loss that continues even after direct pressure has been placed on the wound.
- Severe abdominal pain.
- Sudden dizziness, weakness, loss of coordination, balance or vision problems, which are signs of stroke.
- High fever and vomiting that continues nonstop for several hours.
- Signs of meningitis for adults: severe headaches, neck/joint pain and stiffness, vomiting, high temperature, sensitivity to light or babies and small children: high-pitched whimpering/crying, lethargy, fussiness, restlessness, high fever, vomiting, cold extremities, refusing food, pale or blotchy skin.
- Seizures lasting longer than five minutes.
- Injuries occurring from an accident or fall - intense back or neck pain, obvious compound fractures and/or dislocations of bones, deep cuts and severe burns.
Trauma is a Leading Cause of Death
Physical trauma is the leading cause of death for ages 1-46. In the United States, injuries and violence cost $4.2 trillion per year in health care and lost productivity (more than heart disease, diabetes and cancer.)
Despite an increased awareness of trauma (physical injury inflicted on a person by some external agent) there's still much the community needs to know. That's why it's important we raise awareness about the impact of elderly fall risk, pediatric trauma, sports concussions, motocross safety, injury prevention and more.
If it's an emergency, call 911 or go to the closest emergency department.
Statewide Trauma System
With a goal of reducing injury deaths, improving patient outcomes and reducing medical care costs, the Iowa trauma system was established in 1995, and it was fully implemented statewide in January 2001. The system categorizes and verifies each trauma center, oversees training in advanced trauma life support, defines triage protocol and more. Marshalltown is a Level IV trauma center.
Stop the Bleed Program
Marshalltown participates in the Stop the Bleed Program, which focuses on how to turn bystanders into first responders in any event. During mass-casualty incidents, responders may be delayed due to safety concerns, whether hazards or other unforeseen circumstances. The critical time between injury and definitive care is what this course focuses on. Bleeding is the number one cause of preventable death after injury.
Community Outreach
The trauma program in Marshalltown takes a proactive role in educating the community about the way UnityPoint Health and trauma situations intersect. For example, we recently joined other first-responders in a mock medical incident to show Marshalltown High School students how we respond to trauma and what careers might be available to them.
Our Services
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Emergency Care
Get expert emergency care for critical illnesses or injuries at our UnityPoint Health emergency departments, open 24/7 to treat people of all ages.Emergency Care
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Trauma Services
Not every emergency department can handle every trauma. A trauma center is more than an emergency department offering a state-verified hospital facility capable of highly specialized treatment for the most critical injuries.Trauma Services