Emergency Services
Finest Emergency Care Available in South Texas
Any emergency in your family becomes your highest priority. It’s our priority, too. We treat approximately 70,000 emergency patients a year because University Hospital is home to the finest emergency and trauma care in the area. But, we believe each patient is unique and your emergency is all that matters when you come to us for care.
University Health System’s top-notch emergency medicine doctors and nurses work together to efficiently assess your condition and determine the best next steps. We know how to calm and reassure you in your emergency. You can expect poised, focused care when you enter our doors.
We’re a Level I Trauma Center and the only Level I Pediatric Trauma Center in South Texas. You’ll have the specialists you need available immediately 24 hours a day.
Triage Upon Arrival
We want to help you get the care you need in the right place.
You’re triaged when you arrive in the Emergency Department on the ground level of University Hospital. This means we quickly guide you to the right place for care for your condition – Trauma if that’s where you belong, the Emergency area, University Children's Health emergency area, Women’s Health for OB emergency care or gynecology emergency care, or our FastTrack Clinic.
FastTrack is like an urgent care clinic within our Emergency Department. It’s appropriate for minor injuries and illnesses such as a simple laceration, painful urination or a rash. You’re assessed and treated more quickly in the FastTrack clinic.
We can help you decide if the Emergency Department is right for your needs. Or it may turn out one of our ExpressMed Clinics is the best place for your condition. The most important thing is that you get the care you need. When in doubt, please come to the Emergency Department, and we’ll help determine your care needs.
Expedited Care for Very Important Kids
University Health System has a Very Important Kids (VIK) program in partnership with UT Health San Antonio. This program is for children who have a chronic medical condition such as cystic fibrosis, a heart condition, kidney disease or cancer. We give parents a VIK identification card to present in the Emergency Room. The doctors and nurses can then call your specialist for recommendations about how to treat your child.
The Very Important Kids program ensures your child’s care is speedy and you don’t have to explain your child’s medical history every time. Parents of Very Important Kids tell us how much they appreciate the extra level of service.
