Emergency Department

• How to access the emergency center

• What to expect when you get here (PDF)*
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Welcome to the Andrew F. Anderson Emergency Center at Rhode Island Hospital. We know that a visit to the emergency room can be a stressful and challenging experience. We hope our web site will help answer some of your questions and make your visit as smooth as possible. The emergency department and its staff are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Our team is dedicated to providing you with the very best service and highest quality medical care.

For patients and families, The Andrew F. Anderson Emergency Center means privacy and care that's efficient and responsive. With a spacious, organized facility, our staff works in an environment that nurtures their passion for excellence.

The Andrew F. Anderson Emergency Center is one of the nation's busiest and is the only Level I trauma center in southeastern New England. This is where the region's most critically injured and most ill people come. Our emergency center is 51,000 square feet and serves 110,000 people annually.

The Andrew F. Anderson Emergency Center includes:

• Patient parking conveniently located beneath the emergency center. A 254-space parking garage, free for patients and their family members who bring them to the center.
• Private areas for families
• A separate ambulance driveway and drop-off area
• Expanded radiology and diagnostic testing areas, including three x-ray suites, a dedicated ultrasound suite, 16- and 64-slice CT scanners and access to hospital MRI scanners.
• A technologically advanced chest pain unit including a dedicated cardiac catheterization lab within the Anderson Emergency Center
• A decontamination room with new hazmat tents, capable of accommodating multiple patients exposed to chemical or biological hazards. The Anderson Emergency Center is the hub of medical operations for any mass disaster that may occur in Rhode Island.
• Two triage areas (one for ambulance arrivals and one for walk-in visitors)
• 74 treatment spaces
• Stroke Treatment: Rapid access to care for acute strokes and the region's only primary stroke center with a stroke observation protocol
• 12 critical care beds 
• Three acute care areas with 16 beds each, all designed for a broad variety of patient needs 
• A dedicated 25-bed behavioral health unit for patients with psychiatric emergencies, including a dedicated four-bed unit for children and adolescents
• Team Triage: During peak hours, you will be met in triage rooms by a nurse, physician, physician’s assistant, nurse practitioner, patient care technician, registrar and others. Your vital signs will be checked and you may also receive tests including EKG's, x-rays and lab tests. You may also be administered medication.
• Bedside ultrasound
• A fully electronic patient tracking and record-keeping system