Emergency Services

If you are experiencing a medical emergency and need immediate assistance, please dial 9-1-1. Patients with life-threatening conditions are cared for immediately.  

About Emergency Room Wait Times 

Our ER wait times are calculated in near real-time and updated every 15 minutes. The wait time is approximate and is for informational purposes only. Because new patients arrive frequently, your personal experience may vary from the posted times. Many factors can affect our wait times: for example, patients with trauma, life-threatening injuries or illness, or arriving by ambulance. Patients with a life-threatening condition will always be seen before those with less-serious illnesses or injuries.  

Always Open

The Emergency Services Department (ED), or ER, at UnityPoint Health – Meriter hospital is open 24 hours-a-day, 7 days-a-week, 365 days-a-year to patients of all ages who needs emergency treatment.

We are committed to keeping our patients, visitors, and employees as safe as possible. If you plan on visiting our emergency department, please see the full list of guidelines we require.

UnityPoint Health - Meriter's Emergency Department serves more than 40,000 patients each year from Dane County and the surrounding area. We provide treatment for trauma, cardiac, stroke, pediatric, orthopedic, gastrointestinal, OB/GYN, psychiatric, ear, nose, and throat, and dental care emergencies that require immediate intervention such as emergent soft tissue head and neck infections, traumatic oral and facial injuries.

Our ED is staffed by physicians who are board certified in Emergency Medicine. Our registered nursing staff maintains certifications in the specialty areas of pediatric emergencies and trauma care.

We pride ourselves on easy access to care and treatment. We offer two separate, easily marked entrances - one for patients arriving on their own, and one for patients arriving via ambulance. Parking is available right next to the main ED entrance for patient convenience.

Our waiting room features a television, wireless access, current reading materials and oxygen hook-ups for pulmonary patients. 

Forensic Nurse Examiners Program

Meriter's Forensic Nurse Examiners Program (formerly Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners or SANE program), the only one of its kind in Dane County, provides care for sexual assault victims from any surrounding community.

When to Call 911

Medical emergencies happen far more often than you may think. In Madison, one of every three persons is treated for a medical emergency each year. Chances are that you, a close friend or family member will need emergency care during the course of an average year. Because seconds can make a difference, it's important to become familiar with the emergency numbers in your area. If you live in Dane County and have a life-threatening emergency or need an ambulance, call 911.

Life-threatening situations require immediate medical intervention. Call 911 whenever the following symptoms are involved:

• Loss of consciousness
• Chest pain
• Difficulty breathing
• Extensive burns
• Weakness to one side of the body or difficulty speaking
• Poisoning
• Severe allergic reactions
• Severe, unaccustomed headache
• Chemical injuries

These are only examples, of course you must use your own judgment to decide if an ambulance is needed.