By Dr. Joe Leahy, Associate Vice President, Emergency Medicine, Southern NH Medical Center

The dedicated Board-certified physicians and advanced level providers at Southern NH Medical Center’s Emergency Department care for a wide range of acute medical needs in the greater Nashua community. We know that waiting for care for yourself or a loved one can be extremely difficult. We are working our absolute hardest to care for all of our patients who seek emergency care. We remain committed to providing exceptional emergency medical care to our community every hour of every day.

Sometimes, people seeking help in the ER face long wait times before being seen. There are multiple factors that contribute to this, including greatly increased need for care that exceeds available capacity in staff, available inpatient beds, tests and more.

Another common reason someone might experience an unnecessarily long wait time in the ER is that they require care for a lower acuity need than others who are waiting. The Emergency Department uses a triage system to prioritize acuity and potentially life-threatening conditions, and not always on arrival time. We are seeing many people who come to us very sick and need care right away.

Please know that our staff are proud to serve our community, and we are thankful to the many patients who have let us know they are grateful for their Emergency care.

A patient said, “The nurses, staff, and ER doctor were very kind and did everything to make me comfortable. They listened to my symptoms and provided information and great care. I really love this hospital and feel very safe there. Thank you all for your help.”

Another patient said, “I always felt respected and taken care of by the nurses and doctors.  They seemed to have complete info on my medical background and were clear when explaining what was going on which gave me confidence that I was in the right place. They kept my daughter informed on what was happening so she could relax a little.”

Visiting an Immediate Care Practice May Help

Immediate Care practices and your primary care provider are both important resources for emergent care needs. Immediate Care practices treat patients of all ages for a variety of non-life-threatening conditions.  Immediate Care also offers a variety of on-site services, including diagnostic testing, X-rays and COVID-19 testing, so you can start feeling better faster.

Please use the guide below to help determine the best location for care.

To learn more about Immediate Care and to see current wait times, visit Immediate Care – Southern New Hampshire Health (snhhealth.org).

The Emergency Department at Southern New Hampshire Medical Center is proud to be here for our community. Together, we can ensure that patients receive the care they need when they need it and that our skilled ED staff is always available for the most pressing, emergent medical needs.