WMHS Emergency Department at the New Western Maryland Regional Medical Center:

Level III Trauma Center
Stroke Center
Cardiology Center

The Emergency Department Team is proficient in lifesaving skills and has expert knowledge in the delivery of care within emergency medicine.  Our team includes: emergency physicians, trauma surgeons, orthopedic surgeons, neurosurgeons, critical care specialists, anesthesiologists, emergency nurses and other support personnel who are available on a 24-hour basis.

The staff in the Western Maryland Health System’s Emergency Department welcomes you to our new Regional Medical Center.

As a patient in our department, your welfare is our main concern.  We want to help make your visit as easy and as comfortable as we can.

This brochure gives answers to questions about the care you or your loved one will receive in our Emergency Department.  Please feel free to ask any of our staff questions at any time.

About the Emergency Department
We know that a visit to the Emergency Department can be stressful.  Minutes seem like hours when you are uncomfortable and anxious. We want you to know that we use a sorting system called Triage, not a first-come-first-served order to treat patients in the ED.  This sorting process ensures that patients with the most serious injuries or illnesses are treated first.  For example, if a patient arrives with chest pain, he or she is treated before a patient who arrived earlier but has a swollen ankle.  Heart attacks have priority over earaches, and complicated fractures are treated before small cuts.  During triage, a specially trained Registered Nurse will do an assessment on you to determine what Emergency Severity Index (ESI) level 1-5 scale you fall in.

If your condition is life-threathening, we will take you directly to a treatment area and begin your care immediately.  Otherwise, after being triaged we will then register you by taking your name, address, phone number, employer and insurance policy number for your medical record.

You will notice that a security officer is stationed in the ED to ensure everyone’s safety.

Average ED Wait Times
United States:  3.7 hours
Maryland: 4.1 hours
Cumberland: 1.4 hours
Our commitment:  you will be evaluated by a health care provider within 30 minutes of your arrival.

Average ED Length of Stay
United States: 4.1 hours
Maryland: 4.4 hours
Cumberland: 4.1 hours

Emergency Department
Serve the critically ill or injured patients who require immediate treatment and those patients who are less critical.  Examples include: Trauma, stroke, Cardiac, lacerations, headaches, and minor injuries.

Fast Track
This is an area set aside in the Emergency Department to provide rapid care to those patients that have minor injuries or illnesses that require minimal intervention.

Within the Emergency Department there are many different types of rooms with specialized equipment for evaluating and treating patients.  Sometimes arrangements must be made to free these rooms and the ED staff may ask you to move.  We appreciate your patience if you are required to wait or change rooms during Emergency Department stay.

Waiting to be treated
WMHS makes every attempt to keep your waiting time as short as possible.  We treat approximately 4500 patients each month, and even when there are no patients visible from the waiting area there often are several in the treatment rooms.  With such volume, sometimes the wait for treatment is longer than we hope.  It is our commitment to you that you will be evaluated by a health care provider within 30 minutes of your arrival.  If your condition changes while you are waiting, please let the nurse know immediately.  Take comfort in knowing that when your turn arrives, you will receive our fullest attention.

If a family member or friend is waiting with you, he or she might wish to use the vending machines or watch television to help pass the time.  The hospital cafeteria is open and serves hot food at the lunch and dinner hour, in addition to coffee, tea, salads and cold foods 24 hours a day.

Your treatment in the Emergency Department
An Emergency Department nurse will evaluate your condition and ask you about your medical history, current medications and drug allergies.  Then one of our Emergency Department physicians, physician assistant or nurse practitioners will assess the problem you are having, discuss it with your and recommend a course of treatment.  Sometimes he or she might order diagnostic test or a specialist consultation.  We screen all patients for domestic violence, smoking, alcohol and drug use.  We will provide referrals if you would like assistance with any of these issues.

During your treatment you may have two visitors at the bedside.  There may be times when we ask your visitor(s) to step out of the room and wait in the waiting area.  Patient confidentiality and privacy are important to us.  We will keep your visitors informed if you wish.

When your treatment is completed
Your illness or injury may require admission.  After your admission is processed, you will be transported to an available bed by a nursing staff member.  In the event that your condition requires treatment not available at WMHS, arrangements will be made to have you transferred to another health care facility.  A physician will determine whether you will go by ambulance, helicopter, or private vehicle.  If you have been cleared to be discharged home, a nurse will review written instructions with you to insure that you understand any medications that have been prescribed for you and review your follow-up care.

Designated Areawide Trauma Center

Trauma Coordinator: Chuck Barrick, RN
Telephone: 240-964-3495

E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

About the Designated Area-wide Trauma Center

The Level III trauma center for the WMHS is located within the emergency department with eight beds of 21 designated for critical care patients.  Six emergency medical physicians and a staff of 32 nurses are specially trained in trauma care and certified in advanced cardiac life support and pediatric advanced life support.

Recent Accomplishments
  • The position of Trauma Registrar was added in 2003 and it is currently held by Kathy Witt.  You can reach Kathy at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  
  • The Western Maryland Health System Memorial Campus saw a record number of trauma patients in 2008, with 738 patients coming into the Emergency Department. 
  • The education programs are facilitated by the Trauma Coordinator with the help of the Pre-hospital Coordinator, Bill Hardy at WMHS.  This is continuing education for pre-hospital as well as hospital personnel. You can reach Bill at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
  • The Miltenberger Emergency Service Seminar is held annually in the spring at Rocky Gap Lodge & Conference Center. It was the largest educational offering in the state last year for EMS and Nursing. This past year, it was expanded to a two-day course. The seminar was named after long-time surgeon Dr. Fred Miltenberger, whose dream it was to have an event held each year to educate EMS and Nursing personnel on Trauma Care. Dr. Miltenberger was instrumental in securing the Area-wide Trauma Center on the Memorial Campus in the early 1980’s and was extremely active in the operations of the region’s emergency medical services, which included serving as the executive director for Region I of the MEIMSS network. For more on the Dr. Miltenberger.  The 2008 Miltenberger Emergency Services Conference was held on February 28, 29 and March 1.
  • In January 1999, the Memorial Hospital Campus received renewal of its designation as a Level III Adult Trauma Center by the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems. (MIEMSS) The designation comes as a result of a recent survey conducted by MEIMSS and it extends Memorial's status as the area's Trauma Center for another five-year period. In April of 2008 the center was once again renewed as a Maryland Trauma Center.
  • Included on the trauma center's staff is a pre-hospital care coordinator, who works with area rescue squad members and MIEMSS to ensure coordination of activities with the trauma center and compliance to MIEMSS and Region I protocols. He also coordinates continuing education programs for the region's pre-hospital care providers.
  • Hospital staff also provides ACLS and PALS certification programs. During Fiscal year 1998, a total of 258 individuals, including medical and nursing staff as well as pre-hospital care workers, were certified in ACLS.
  • Hospital staff is active in the community, providing activities to promote injury prevention. 
  • Dedicated Trauma Surgeons providing 24-hour, 7-day coverage.

The Trauma Service

  • Emergency Department
  • Intensive Care
  • OR/PACU
  • HLC/Telemetry
  • Med/Surg Units
  • Radiology
  • Laboratory
  • Respiratory
  • Security
  • Social Services
  • Pastoral Care
  • Physical Therapy
  • Occupational Therapy
  • Speech Therapy

Nationally Set Criteria for Level III Trauma Centers

  • 24-hour radiology technician on site
  • CT technician on site 16 hours per day with 30 minute availability on-call personnel
  • 24-hour clinical laboratory with blood bank type & cross-match capabilities
  • Surgical support with 15 minute operating room availability

For more information on The Trauma Center, call Chuck Barrick at 240-964-3495 or e-mail him at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Trauma Links:

Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS) http://miemss.umaryland.edu/

R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center - University of Maryland Medical Center http://www.umm.edu/shocktrauma/