Emergency Department

1. Reception: You will be asked to provide your health card and your reason for visiting.
2. Triage: Every effort will be made to assess you within 15 minutes of your arrival. A triage nurse will take a history of your compliant, assess your condition and initiate appropriate diagnostic tests if need-be in order to assist the doctor/nurse practitioner and expedite your care. It is important to have a complete list of your medications and any allergies.
3. Registration: If your case is urgent, you will be sent directly to one of the treatment rooms. A registration clerk will then get the necessary information to register you in the system.

If your case is of a less urgent nature, you will be registered and sent to the appropriate area for care. If your condition should change while you are waiting, please notify the Triage Nurse.

• Your OHIP card (either the red and white card or the green card with photo).
• A list of medications that you take or the bottles including all prescription, non-prescription and herbal remedies.
• A list of all allergies.
• Any health records you may have concerning your health.
• If you are accompanying a child, please remember to bring diapers and the child's favourite toy or activity book.

The Emergency Department is staffed at all times by specially trained emergency physicians, nurses and allied health professionals. HSN is a teaching hospital affiliated with the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Laurentian University, Cambrian College and Collège Boréal. During your visit to the hospital, you will be seen by a team of health care professionals, some of which may be in training. Individuals in training will identify themselves to you as learners or medical residents. Working under the close supervision of hospital staff and attending physicians, they play an important role in the care and treatment of you and your family.

The Emergency Department does not operate on a first come, first serve basis. All patients are seen by a triage nurse and assigned a triage level based on the Canadian Triage Acuity Scale. Patients are seen in the order of their triage level, not on time of arrival. This Triage approach allows us to give priority to those patients whose ailments are most severe and acute.

Why Am I Waiting in the Emergency Department?

The Emergency Department may appear quiet in the waiting room, but it may be very busy in the area where patients are being treated. We do our best to care for you as quickly as possible. Your co-operation helps us provide more timely care.

Your treatment in the Emergency Department may take several hours depending on the following:

• Whether or not you require tests
• Whether or not you require immediate test results
• Whether or not the emergency physician needs to consult a specialist

If admission to the hospital is required, a bed will be arranged for you. Note that if it is an emergency admission and not a scheduled one, a bed may not be immediately available.

Residents of the Greater City of Sudbury and its surrounding area are encouraged to consider alternative healthcare choices in the city for treatment of non-urgent medical conditions.

Visit Your Family Doctor

For less urgent problems, your first choice is to call your family doctor. Make sure that you know the office hours and what plans are made for patients when the office is closed. Also, find out what you should do when your doctor is away on vacation. If you have questions about your medications, feel free to talk to your pharmacist or family doctor.

Crisis Intervention Services

Feeling Overwhelmed? You have options. We Can Help. Crisis Intervention Services are free for people living or visiting in the Sudbury & Manitoulin Districts. We work with individuals of all ages and with your family and other supports if you agree to have them involved. We will help you find solutions to the issues you face and provide brief counselling and referral to other programs or agencies that can help you.

Other Community Options

Due to the impact of the global situation with the coronavirus (COVID-19) HSN is taking special precautions to keep our patients, caregivers and staff safe. Visit our Visitor Information page to learn more.