Emergency care
Emergency care is the treatment of unexpected, severe medical injuries or infections. It is typically delivered in an emergency room or an ambulance. Our emergency medicine physicians stabilize your condition as quickly as possible to prepare you for the next step of care or discharge.
Emergency room (ER) care in Decatur, Texas
When your family faces a health emergency, we're prepared to diagnose and treat your loved ones fast.
The trauma and emergency care teams at Medical City Decatur, a campus of Medical City Denton, are ready for urgent and life-threatening conditions. If you're experiencing a fracture or severe head injuries, our team delivers effective treatment quickly.
Our emergency medical program
We are ready to evaluate and care for your severe injuries and illnesses. Our ER and trauma specialists offer treatments that help you heal and recover.
Level IV Trauma Center
Our ER is a 27-bed, state-designated, Level IV Trauma Center and handles a range of injuries. We're staffed 24-hours a day with emergency medicine physicians, trauma specialists, registered nurses and support staff specially trained in pediatric and adult acute care. Our team cares for you if you're transferred from rural Wise County and its surrounding communities. As such, we're ready to care for you or your loved one on arrival through recovery.
Cardiac services
When you or your loved one experiences a heart attack, EMS personnel are able to transmit detailed vital statistics to our ER while on route to our hospital, allowing our specialists to treat you more quickly. Upon arrival, the cardiologist will have already been notified and may be on-site or on the way and the cardiac catheter lab can be prepped for any surgical procedure needed to open up the blocked vessels, thus minimizing heart damage.
Stroke care
Our hospital has advanced certification as a Primary Stroke Center by The Joint Commission. The recognition shows our commitment to your safety and quality care. As such, our team provides timely care that minimizes damage and loss of life, including using tPA, a medication. The medication reduces stroke symptoms if received within three hours.
Emergency helicopter services
Our hospital partners with Air Evac LifeTeam which offers 24-7 (weather permitting) transport to our facility in Decatur, from rural communities in Wise and surrounding counties that are in a 50-mile radius. The service also offers transport to other medical facilities from our Decatur campus, within a 150-mile radius, when more advanced care is needed and response time is critical.
Crisis intervention
Our ER team is trained to deliver care in a variety of crisis situations, including evaluation for sexual assault. We also connect you to a number of resources and support groups for a variety of needs, including child advocacy, domestic violence, substance abuse and suicide intervention. Here is a helpful list of crisis management resources.
- CASA of Wise and Jack Counties (child advocacy) - (940) 627-7535
- VOICES Advocating for Children (child advocacy) - (940) 626-8139
- TDFPS/ TX Dept of Family & Protective Services - (800) 252-5400 (24/7 Hotline)
- Family Violence Legal Hotline (texaslawhelp.org) - (800) 374-4673
- National Sexual Assault Hotline - (800) 656-HOPE (4673)
- Wise Hope Crisis Center (Rape Crisis) - (940) 626-4855 (24/7 Hotline)
- Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) - (800) 622-HELP (4357) (24/7 Hotline)
- National Hopeline Network (suicide prevention) - (800) 784-2433
- National Suicide Prevention Line - (800) 273-TALK (8255)
- Youth America Hotline (Counseling for Teens by Teens) - (877) 968-8491
It's crucial to get the proper care and support after sexual assaults. To that end, our understanding ER registered nurses and physicians are trained to collect basic forensic evidence in sexual assault cases, as mandated by Texas law. We are also one of several locations designated as a community-wide healthcare facility for treating sexual assault survivors. A trained and state-certified sexual assault nurse examiner is available 24/7.
Know the warning signs of stroke
When you know the warning signs of a stroke, you're one step closer to getting your loved one the care they need in a timely fashion.
To help you remember the warning signs for stroke, remember to BE FAST when you see any of the following signs:
B — Balance. Does the person have a sudden onset of dizziness or inability to balance themselves?
E — Eyes. Is the person experiencing a sudden change in eyesight, loss of full or partial vision or blurriness?
F — Face. As the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?
A — Arms. Ask the person to raise both arms. Can he/she hold them there, or does one arm drift downward?
S — Speech. Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Does the speech sound slurred or is the person having trouble finding the correct words?
T — Time. Time is important. If the person shows any of these symptoms, call 911. Brain tissue is at risk; the faster you seek medical attention, the greater your loved one's chances of recovery.