Our Emergency Departments: Important Hubs of our Patient Care   

The importance of our emergency departments at USC Arcadia Hospital and USC Verdugo Hills Hospital

Gary Hood, a 77-year-old former firefighter, was brought to the USC Arcadia Hospital (USC-AH) Emergency Department (ED) with flu-like symptoms and sudden jaw pain.  

USC-AH is a Los Angeles County-designated comprehensive stroke and heart attack receiving center. An EKG revealed Gary was experiencing a heart attack, and staff moved him to the hospital’s catheterization laboratory for emergency intervention.  

Thanks to the quick action of all medical personnel involved, Gary recovered. He has since returned home to his family and will celebrate his 57th wedding anniversary with his wife in August.  

We have all had experiences in the emergency room, either for ourselves, a loved one or a friend. These are make-or-break moments alternatively filled with dread and hope. Our goal at Keck Medicine of USC is to resolve any immediate issues and either send people home in better shape than when they arrived or get them the more acute care they need.  

Our USC-AH ED is a crucial and often life-saving resource for the San Gabriel Valley. With 30 beds, it can handle a large patient load of approximately 47,000 patients a year. That is a lot of bee stings, concussions, broken bones and serious illnesses such as strokes and cardiac issues to treat.  

This April, the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC assumed responsibility for providing care in the USC-AH ED. The department is now staffed with 15 Keck Medicine emergency physicians who add tremendous expertise to the already talented nursing and technical staff. 

To the northwest, our ED at USC Verdugo Hills Hospital (USC-VHH) plays a key role in the health of residents of Glendale, La Cañada and the surrounding areas. All USC-VHH doctors are board-certified in emergency medicine, and the nursing team is nationally recognized for excellence in emergency care. The department sees a high volume of patients — about 30,000 each year — relative to its size.  

Both hospitals’ emergency departments are certified to treat children as well as adults — a boon to parents during the accident-prone summer months when kids often attend camps and are trying out more sports than usual.  

Not only do our EDs provide patients with quality urgent care, but they also open the gateway for patients to get the more acute care they need. Around 18-21% of all patients presenting to the hospitals’ EDs require inpatient care at the hospital. This adds up to the startling statistic that more than two-thirds of all patients at USC-AH and USC-VHH come through the EDs. And the sickest of patients may be transferred to Keck Hospital of USC to receive an even higher level of specialized treatment. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, ED visits around the country plummeted. However, now the number of visits have reached or exceeded their pre-pandemic levels. To meet this need, our EDs are maximizing their resources and space.  

They have created “fast track” areas to get low-acuity patients treated and sent home. To shorten wait times, emergency physicians and advanced practice providers (physician assistants and nurse practitioners) are stationed in the triage area. This ensures that all patients are evaluated soon after arrival, and that needed tests and X-rays are performed in a timely manner.  

Our EDs are important hubs of patient evaluation, diagnosis and care. A patient’s journey to wellness often begins with our emergency services.  

I appreciate all our physicians, nurses and staff who dedicate themselves to this crucial area of health care. They have the skill and expertise to stabilize and treat patients in a very pressure-filled environment. And because of them, patients like Gary are able to get their health back on track. 

Our EDs are important hubs of patient evaluation, diagnosis and care. A patient’s journey to wellness often begins with our emergency services.

Rod Hanners, CEO of Keck Medicine

Topics