By Tyrel Linkhorn

The COVID-19 pandemic has put much of life on hold, but not everything can wait.

Heart attacks, strokes, severe belly pain and serious slips and falls all require immediate attention. The Emergency Department at The University of Toledo Medical Center is well-prepared with a team of expert nurses and trauma-trained physicians to care for these concerns and more.

“We want people to feel comfortable to come into a clean emergency room and not put off care, even during COVID-19,” said Dr. William Saunders, chief of service at the UTMC Emergency Department. “We have every resource that we’ve always had, and we’re capable of coordinating any care that a patient may need.”

The University of Toledo Medical Center has been a trusted community partner since 1964, providing wraparound care and life-saving services for a range of medical conditions.

During the pandemic, UTMC has provided state-of-the-art care for COVID-19 patients and continues to participate in our community’s public health response. UTMC had the first lab in northwest Ohio able to test for COVID-19 and has played a key role in distributing vaccines to the most vulnerable members of our community. The hospital was also one of the first sites in the country to enroll patients in an important, NIH-sponsored study aimed at identifying promising COVID-19 treatments worthy of larger, more in-depth clinical trials.

All the while, UTMC’s Emergency Department has been fully staffed to care for everything from broken bones to significant trauma.

“I try to take everybody back to before COVID. If people would have come into the Emergency Department for a concern then, it’s important they still come in now,” Saunders said. “We’ve taken every precaution to protect our employees and our patients from COVID-19. We want our patients to feel confident they’re coming to a safe, caring environment.”

Saunders said it’s important that people don’t forego visiting the emergency room over concerns they’re overburdening the system or putting themselves or their loved ones at risk of infection. That’s particularly true for symptoms that could be indicative of a serious emergency, such as chest pain, difficulty breathing, symptoms of stroke or serious abdominal pain.

“Even if someone’s experienced occasional chest pain for years, today could be the day they’re having that heart attack. We never want someone experiencing a potential medical emergency to wait,” Saunders said. “We have the resources to care for you. We’re open and we’re ready.”

Some complaints, such as minor burns, sprained ankles, simple fractures or minor infections can quickly be addressed in the emergency room.

For more serious, life-threatening conditions, UTMC’s Emergency Department is prepared to provide critical, stabilizing care and arrange quick access to specialists.

“We can coordinate care across many subspecialties and I think that sets UTMC apart,” Saunders said. “We’re a university-level resource in a community setting, and that’s a real difference.”

First Published February 22, 2021, 5:00 a.m.