Emergency care that begins at home.

Our Online ER Waiting Service allows you to wait comfortably, wherever you are, until it’s your time to be seen. When you arrive, you’ll get compassionate care from a specialized emergency care team, with the benefit of humankindness—and a more comfortable overall experience.

Book Your Arrival Time
 

Emergency Medicine

When an emergency happens, it’s a comfort to know where to go for qualified, compassionate care. Dignity Health – St. Mary Medical Center’s Emergency Room addresses the emergency needs of Long Beach, 24/7, offering care to treat you quickly and efficiently.

Due to the evolving nature of COVID-19, there may be delays in response to your appointment through the online arrival system, as well as actual wait time.

Caring for You Safely During COVID-19

Comprehensive Emergency Services in Long Beach

Our Emergency Department offers a complete range of care, and our doctors and nurses are trained and equipped to handle all types of emergencies. Additionally, we have access to specialists, subspecialists, and advanced equipment, reducing the need for patients to be transferred to another hospital.

STEMI Heart Attack Center

Providing recognized expertise and urgency in treatment of heart attacks.

 

Comprehensive Stroke Center
We have the ability to treat even the most complex stroke cases, providing 24/7 access to neurology, neurosurgery, neurointerventional radiology, and neurocritical care. Our certification by The Joint Commission as a Primary Stroke Center means we follow the best practices for stroke care and provide integrated services in stroke diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation.
 

Level II Trauma Center

Our ACS Designated Level II Trauma Center designation means that, when the most critically injured or ill patients are in our Emergency Room, we have highly qualified surgeons and physicians in-house 24/7 to respond.

Pediatric Emergency Care

Not all facilities are qualified to treat illnesses or injuries in children. Our Emergency Department is approved to provide specialized pediatric care. In fact, our Emergency Department is specially designated by Los Angeles County as an Emergency Department Approved for Pediatrics (EDAP). This means the hospital has adhered to strict EDAP requirements for policies, procedures, and protocols; administration/coordination; personnel; quality improvement; support services; and equipment, supplies, and medications. 

Regional Disaster Resource Center for Greater Long Beach

As a Disaster Resource Center for 10 area hospitals throughout Long Beach and surrounding communities, as well as being the region’s Paramedic Base Station, responsible for coordinating paramedic calls for the city's hospitals, our Emergency Department is particularly experienced in dealing with trauma, accidents, and disasters.

Online ER Waiting Service

For non-life-threatening emergencies, our convenient “InQuicker” online waiting service app allows patients to select an estimated hospital arrival time so you can wait more comfortably wherever you are until it is time to be seen. 

The service should not be used for life-threatening emergencies or children under the age of three. Call 911 immediately for these serious situations.

When to Go to the St. Mary Medical Center ER?

The emergency room, or ER, is a hospital service where people can seek immediate help for serious injuries or illnesses that can’t be managed or treated at home, in a doctor’s office, or at an urgent care facility. 

Head to an emergency room if you feel that you require immediate medical attention, including symptoms such as:

  • Change in mental status, such as unusual behavior, confusion or difficulty walking or talking
  • Chest or upper abdominal pain or pressure
  • Fainting
  • Coughing or vomiting blood
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Sudden, severe pain anywhere in the body
  • Severe or persistent vomiting
  • Coughing or vomiting blood
  • Severe bleeding
  • Broken bones
  • Trauma or injury to the head

What to Expect in Our ER

The best way to deal with the ER is to simply know what to expect. Here's what you can expect from a typical emergency room visit.

 

  • Wait Times: Cases are given priority based on the severity, so if you have a less urgent condition, you will probably need to wait longer. While you wait, you'll be asked to complete health care documents and forms. Dignity Health also offers an online ER waiting service, InQuicker, which allows you to wait at home until your estimated arrival time. 
  • Treatment and Testing: When it's your turn to be seen, a triage nurse will review your medical history and ask for information about your allergies, medications you're taking, past surgeries, or medical conditions. Your vital signs and a brief rundown of your symptoms will also be obtained. Depending on your severity, you may be asked to return to the waiting area or be placed in the triage area or exam room. As part of the exam, you may need blood tests or imaging tests to check for certain diseases or conditions. It can take an hour or more to get your results, depending on the number of tests and the number of patients ahead of you.
  • Ongoing Care: The average wait time to see a physician varies on time of day,  and other factors. Depending on your circumstance, you may be admitted for immediate care, observation, or be discharged. 
  • Discharge: Before you're discharged from the emergency room, you and your physician will discuss test results, a treatment plan, follow-up instructions with your primary physician, and, if needed, a referral to a specialist. You will also receive paperwork and any necessary drug prescriptions.

Location

St. Mary Medical Center is conveniently located at E. 10th Street and Atlantic Avenue in Long Beach. 

St. Mary Medical Center
1050 Linden Ave.
Long Beach, CA 90813

Learn More About Emergency Services At St. Mary Medical Center

For more information, please call (562) 491-9000. To find a physician, please call (562) 491-4895 or use our search tool to Find a Doctor.