Chandler Emergency Department
Effective Tuesday April 6, 2021, UK Police will use handheld metal detectors to “wand” all patients and visitors ages 12 & up entering the emergency departments at UK Chandler Hospital and UK Good Samaritan Hospital.
The Region's Only Level 1 Trauma Center for Adult and Pediatric Patients
If you need immediate care call 911 or go to your nearest Emergency Department.
UK HealthCare’s Chandler Emergency Department occupies the ground floor of the new UK Albert B. Chandler Hospital pavilion. The department is the area’s busiest – providing life-saving treatment for critically ill or injured patients.
The Chandler Emergency Department contains three focused areas of care:
UK Emergency Department Triage Process
Upon arrival at our Emergency Department, please go to the registration desk.
Sign in
Upon arrival, please sign in with some basic information in order for the triage nurse to see you.
Talk with the triage nurse
The triage nurse will discuss your condition and decide what treatment is needed.
Tell the triage nurse all medical information, including the symptoms you are having.
Ask the nurse before eating or drinking anything as this may interfere with your treatment.
Register
A patient relations assistant will begin the registration process, either at the front desk or bedside. You will be asked for information important to include in your medical record, such as your:
- Name
- Address
- Phone number
Provide your insurance or payment information
At some point during your care, we will collect your insurance information and obtain a copy of your insurance card so payment for your visit may be arranged.
If you do not have insurance, please let us know and a variety of payment options can be discussed.
Pay co-payment, deductible or deposit
Co-payments, deductibles or deposits on your account will be taken by one of our patient relations assistants near the end of your visit.
Please be patient
Please understand that some people who arrive after you may be seen before you.
Emergency visits are not like doctor’s office visits. There are no scheduled appointments. Instead, patients are seen in different areas based on the type of illness or injury they have.
Programs UK Chandler ED Administers
Hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT) services
Phone: 859-323-5081
- The hyperbaric chamber allows cardiac rhythm monitoring, intravenous infusions, mechanical ventilation, and air breaks for patients undergoing treatment.
- The service follows the approved uses of hyperbaric treatment as developed by the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society and the approved indications for hyperbaric treatment as established by Medicare.
- Equipment used is a Sechrist monoplace chamber capable of pressures to 3.0 ATA (atmospheres absolute or 66 fsw).
Air medical service
Phone: 859-323-6215
- UK HealthCare Emergency Medicine provides medical direction to PHI Air Medical Transport for Central and Eastern Kentucky.
- Air medical transport services provide rapid critical care transport of acutely ill and injured patients throughout central and eastern Kentucky.
Event Emergency Medical Services
Phone: 859-323-5908
UK HealthCare Emergency Medicine provides medical direction and support to the UK Chandler Hospital Event Medical Services program. This program provides onsite medical care to large public events including:
- UK football games
- auto racing
- horse shows
This service provides the necessary staff and equipment for large gatherings, including:
- physicians
- nurses
- paramedics
- emergency medical technicians (EMTs)
- medical supplies
Visitors
In order to protect your privacy and safety of you and all of our patients, the number of family members and visitors for each patient must be limited. Once you are taken to a room, you may have two family members / visitors in your room at one time. Children should remain in the waiting area with a responsible adult.
Level 1 Trauma Center
A Level I trauma center provides the highest level of surgical care to trauma patients and has a full range of specialists and equipment available 24/7.
The UK Level I trauma center is verified by the American College of Surgeons, one of only two Level I centers in Kentucky and the only one serving Central and Southeastern Kentucky.
The UK Level I trauma center is one of only 20 centers in the United States to be verified as both a pediatric Level I trauma center and an adult Level I trauma center.
The center provides the highest level of surgical care to trauma patients and has a full range of specialists and equipment available 24 hours a day.
Designed to save lives
Located in the center of the UK Chandler Emergency Department on the ground level of the new pavilion (Pavilion A), the new trauma center includes three major-trauma bays capable of caring for up to eight patients depending on the complexity of their needs.
State-of-the-art technology
The rooms are equipped with state-of-the-art monitoring and life-support systems and are capable of handling any life-saving procedure.
Efficient work space to enhance care
Support areas within the center include work areas for physicians, nurses, paramedics and other support staff. While the rooms are capable of supporting mobile X-ray units, the center is immediately adjacent to dedicated CT technology and general radiology rooms.
Express elevators direct from the four roof helipads and direct hallway access to the ambulance entrance enable staff to quickly provide life-saving care.
Patient flow
Trauma patients will receive initial assessment and management to include appropriate diagnostic radiology examinations in the trauma bay treatment areas.
After initial assessment is completed, patients will be moved to an appropriate location within the emergency department (ED) unless an inpatient bed is immediately available. Patients who require immediate surgical intervention will be taken to the surgical suites.
Environment of care
- Within the overall Chandler Emergency Department, patients treated in the Trauma Center will also benefit from:
- A front door ambassador to assist with wayfinding, communication and comfort.
- Collaboration of ED staff, architects and facility experts to create the most efficient work space possible.
- Careful attention to color palette, artwork and lighting to create a comfortable, healing environment.
- Pneumatic tube system to improve lab turnaround time and support faster diagnosis.
- Designated eye, ear, nose and throat/dental room.
- 100% computerized physician order entry.
- A “quiet ED” concept that significantly reduces overhead announcements by using specialized phone paging and other communication devices.
- Mobile computer carts that allow staff to register patients at bedside. Mobile X-ray carts, an ED endoscopy cart and other mobile carts speed the delivery of care to the patient.
- Digital touch-screen “expect” boards at ambulance entry enable EMS crews to announce their arrival, improving communication and patient processing.
- Ongoing services improvements that have dramatically reduced the time from arrival to triage and arrival to seeing a doctor, as well as the overall length of stay.
Directions & parking
The UK Level I Trauma Center is located at 1000 S. Limestone. The trauma center, part of the UK Chandler Emergency Department, is located on the ground floor level of the new pavilion (Pavilion A). Large emergency signs will direct drivers to the entrance.
Short-term parking is available at the entrance to the Adult Emergency Center. Once the patient has been settled in the ED, the car should be moved to the spacious UK HealthCare garage nearby on S. Limestone.
The UK HealthCare Parking Garage is located at S. Limestone and Transcript Avenue, about one block from the UK Chandler Emergency Department. A skywalk at the garage’s Level C connects it to the hospital across Limestone. Follow signs one level down to the Welcome Center.
At street level of the garage (Level A), a free shuttle will also transport patients to the ED.
Trauma Program Office
The Trauma Program Office provides the day-to-day administrative operations for maintaining the UK HealthCare Chandler Hospital Adult Level I Trauma Center and the Kentucky Children’s Hospital Pediatric Level I Trauma Center.
The services provided include:
- Transfer information
- Trauma education
- Trauma outreach & injury prevention programs
- Trauma registry
Adult Emergency Center
The Adult Emergency Center is a dedicated space geared to adults experiencing medical emergencies not classified as Level I traumas.
Arrival
Patients enter through the dedicated entrance off South Limestone or may be transported through the ambulance entry or helipads on top of the building.
Welcome center
Dedicated registration staff welcomes patients and families and alert the triage nurse for care assessment.
Waiting area
- The area features comfortable seating, artwork, televisions and vending machines.
- Our goal is to get patients into a room and ensure they are seen as quickly as possible.
Rooms
- 33 exam rooms
- Private consultation rooms
- Direct access to the Level I Trauma Center and Express Care
Express care
Express emergency care is designed to accelerate patient care for those who are not critically injured or sick. It includes:
- Five exam rooms plus one room that has six comfortable lounge chairs designed for patients who don’t need an exam room.
Advanced technology in use
The new Emergency Department has access to advanced imaging and diagnostic technology:
- Digital radiographic (X-ray) and computerized tomography (CT) capabilities are available 24 hours a day.
- Ultrasound services will be performed at bedside or in the ED ultrasound room at varying times.
- Interventional radiology, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and nuclear medicine patients receive radiology services in the following facilities as appropriate:
- Chandler Hospital Pavilion H
- the Critical Care Tower (Pavilion HA)
- the Gill Building (Pavilion G)