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.

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Emergency care where you live

From an unexpected fall to a sudden pain in your chest, we're here to help.

When you choose Methodist Healthcare, you’re choosing a network of care facilities standing by to provide lifesaving emergency treatment. Methodist Hospital Westover Hills offers expanded care and services when an emergency arises.

When to go to the ER

If you have an injury or condition causing you serious discomfort or complications, go to the closest hospital ER or emergency care center as soon as possible. Symptoms or conditions that should be treated in an ER include:

Abdominal pain
Broken bones
Certain behavioral health issues
Chest pain
Concussion or head trauma

Heart attack
Open wounds
Severe allergic reaction
Strokes (cerebrovascular accidents)
Trouble breathing

Specialized emergency services and treatments

Our goal is to provide seamless care for you and your family. To do this, we offer a variety of emergency care options that allow for continuous care from arrival through recovery. If you need more advanced care, we also arrange emergency air transport, surgical procedures, or specialist services.

Trauma care

Traumatic injuries require highly specialized care from doctors trained in treating trauma. Through our network of hospitals in the Methodist Healthcare System, Methodist Hospital | Westover Hills, has access to Level I and Level II Trauma Care throughout San Antonio. This means we offer patients advanced trauma care from the moment they enter our hospital doors throughout their recovery journey.

Pediatric-friendly emergency services

If your little one needs advanced emergency care, we offer access to pediatric-friendly emergency services throughout the state of Florida. This means your child can be seen by a specialist trained and experienced in treating pediatric emergencies so they receive the compassionate, comprehensive care that is right for them.

Should your child need additional care, we will work collaboratively with our healthcare partners to ensure they receive the best possible treatment.

Our emergency care providers

Our emergency rooms and emergency care centers include multispecialty teams of doctors, surgeons, nurses and anesthesiologists committed to providing high-quality emergency care when you need it most. Our teams collaborate with local emergency medical services (EMS) providers to continuously improve transport times, door-to-balloon times for heart attack patients and door-to-treatment times for those experiencing stroke. Because of this dedication, we are proud to be Certified Primary Stroke Center and Primary Heart Attack Center, caring for patients in West San Antonio and beyond.

ER vs. urgent care

Deciding between emergency care or urgent care for treating an illness or injury isn't always easy, especially in the moment of pain or sickness.

Urgent care centers typically treat commonplace sicknesses and injuries, such as flu symptoms and ankle sprains. However, unlike an ER, most urgent care clinics are not open 24/7 and are not able to treat more serious conditions.

Conditions commonly treated at an urgent care center include: