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Emergency Department

The Safety Net for Your Healthcare

Welcome to the Emergency Department Home Page. Our professional staff of Physicians, Nurses and Technicians are well trained and standing by to provide emergency care to you and your family if and when you need it. Let us be your Safety Net.

Lower Waiting Times

No one likes having to wait to be seen when they are not feeling well. This is especially true of Emergency Room visits. We are proud to announce that the average wait time at Ireland Army Community Hospital Emergency Department is well below the national average.

Onsite Pharmacy

When you are discharged from our Emergency Department, you will not have to drive to a pharmacy and experience long wait times. We have an onsite pharmacy located just outside the Emergency Department waiting area. When the pharmacy is closed, your prescription will be filled right in the Emergency Department through our Flex Rx System.

Transport to a Higher Level of Care

Should you or a family member need to be transported to a trauma center or other higher level facility, we have one of the most qualified ambulance services in the area that is standing by to serve you. Our ambulance service is located onsite and it is fully staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with highly trained paramedics and emergency medical technicians.

Triage

If you have ever visited an Emergency Room, you have most likely wondered why it takes so long and some people are taken back quicker than others. The method used to determine who is treated first is called Triage; a French word meaning "to sort". When the word triage is used medically, it means to see the sickest, or potentially sickest, patients first. We use four triage levels.

Emergent: Patients require immediate attention to prevent loss of life, limb, or eyesight.

Urgent: Patients who have the risk to deteriorate into life-threatening conditions, such as loss of life, limb or eyesight without timely care.

Non-Urgent: Patients who develop an illness or injury over the past 24-48 hours, or those that pose no threat to loss of life, limb or eyesight. Patients enrolled to a Primary Care Manager may want to use sick-call procedures (active duty) or call the Central Appointment Line at (800) 493-9602 before coming to the Emergency Department.

Routine: Patients requesting medication refills, consults to other doctors, or other routine healthcare needs. Routine patients should follow the procedures above for seeing your regular healthcare provider. This will alleviate excessive waiting in the Emergency Department.

Upon arrival in the Emergency Department, our clerk will register you into our computer system. Please be prepared by having your Military ID card and any secondary insurance cards ready. After registration, a Registered Nurse will gather information about your condition, perform an initial evaluation and assign you a triage level according to your current complaints, past medical history, and physical condition. You will be seen according to your triage level, not by the order of arrival.

Please know that our staff is fully committed to providing the highest quality of care to all patients. We strive to see all patients in a timely manner while putting quality and safety first. We are all members of the Fort Knox community as well as partners in service to the Army and our great Nation.

Our Staff

Emergency Physicians

The ER physician comes to the team after spending eight years in school. After medical school, a one year internship and three year residency follows. Physicians  must pass written and oral exams to become board certified in Emergency Medicine.

Emergency Nurses

The ER nurse must complete a four year degree to obtain a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and then pass a licensing exam to become a Registered Nurse. All nurses in the Emergency Department are RNs. The nurse is the patient advocate responsible for triaging and assessing the patient's condition, completing doctors orders and ensuring that patients receive treatment for their pain.

Army Medic

The Army Medic completes a four month program at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Upon completion, they are EMT qualified and are able to perform a variety of tasks in the hospital setting to include taking vital signs, collecting blood samples, initiating IV therapy and performing EKGs. More than half of our medics have served overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Registration Clerk/Unit Secretary

This essential member of the team is one you don't often hear about. They handle the communication needs of the Emergency Department which includes: ordering diagnostic tests, calling requested consults, preparing medical discharge instructions and registering patients.

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