Expert Emergency Care in Northern Michigan   

Munson Healthcare Emergency Rooms are located throughout northern Michigan and are open 24 hours every day. ERs are staffed with emergency medicine specialists and specialty trained teams of physician assistants, nurses, and technicians. Excellent emergency care is available in a hospital near you in Cadillac, Charlevoix, Frankfort, Gaylord, Grayling, Kalkaska, Manistee, and Traverse City.

Emergency Room visits are meant only for serious illness and injury, including medical, surgical, or psychiatric care:

• Change in mental status (such as confusion)
• Chest pain and/or left arm pain (heart attack warning signs)
• Coughing blood or vomiting blood
• Evaluation of assault, physical or sexual abuse, or child abuse
• If you’re pregnant and have vaginal bleeding or pelvic/abdominal pain
• Injured neck or spinal cord, severe head injury
• Loss of consciousness
• Major injuries, such as bones poking through skin
• Possible drug overdose or poisoning
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing/swallowing
• Seizures
• Serious cuts (cuts that won't stop bleeding or wounds that won't close) and infections
• Severe allergic reaction
• Severe burns
• Severe pain
• Severe or persistent vomiting, diarrhea, or dehydration
• Stroke symptoms, including slurred speech, lost or double vision, and others
• Sudden dizziness, weakness, or changes in vision
• Thoughts of suicide or acts of self-harm

*The symptoms above are guidelines and not a complete list.

When to Call 911

In a severe, life-threatening emergency, always call 911.

If you think you are having a heart attack or a stroke, do not drive yourself to the Emergency Room or travel by car to the hospital. Call 911. Life-saving care can begin in the ambulance. Minutes count. Don’t delay your care.

Also call 911 if:

•    You have uncontrolled bleeding  
•    You have difficulty breathing or swallowing
•    You have injured your neck or spinal cord
•    You have severe chest pain
•    You have a severe burn

Traverse City’s Level II Trauma Center

Munson Medical Center in Traverse City has been verified as a Level II Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons since 2006. Munson Medical Center works closely with first-response emergency personnel, including North Flight Aero Med and Mobile Medical Response (MMR), to quickly transport trauma patients from across northern Michigan to the Trauma Center.   

Our Trauma Team

The Trauma Acute Care Surgery team includes four board certified trauma surgeons, orthopedic surgeons, vascular surgeons, emergency medicine specialists, physician assistants, nurses, radiology staff, pharmacy staff, operating room nurses, and other support staff. This team is available around the clock to respond to trauma victims who need immediate care.

Your Care is Important to Us

We want to provide prompt care and we work hard to minimize wait times in the Emergency Room. A short wait is possible during peak times or when we are responding to a major trauma. Please be assured we have not forgotten about you. We evaluate everyone who comes in the door and see patients with the most serious conditions first. If all conditions are equally serious, we see patients in order of their time of arrival.    

Stroke Robots Connect to Specialists

Emergency Rooms in Cadillac and Grayling are equipped with stroke robots. This bedside telemedicine technology allows neuro-specialists with the Michigan Stroke Network to assess and talk with patients in rural areas via audio and video communication and consult with emergency physicians in real-time.

Stroke Center of Excellence  

The Joint Commission, along with the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association has also certified Munson Medical Center as a Primary Stroke Center since 2012 for meeting all critical elements of performance to achieve long-term success in improving outcomes for stroke patients. Certification recognizes hospitals that have a dedicated stroke-focused program, are staffed by qualified medical professionals trained in stroke care, involve the patient in their hospital care, and who use data to assess and continually improve quality of care for stroke patients.

Specialized Behavioral Health Care

As an added patient safety feature, Munson Medical Center’s Emergency Department has four specialized behavioral health rooms that are monitored in real time by security cameras and are observable from a nurses’ station. A safety/violence risk assessment tool developed at Munson Medical Center is used in hospitals around the nation as part of the triage process to determine if behavioral health interventions are necessary and what level of care is appropriate.