Mental health crises include panic attacks, severe anxiety and episodes of bipolar disorder, psychosis or schizophrenia.

Serious brain and spine injuries include concussions, hematomas (blood that has collected outside a blood vessel), skull fractures, spine fractures and spinal cord injuries.

These emergencies are related to the brain and its blood vessels. They include ischemic (blood clot) strokes, hemorrhagic (bleeding in the brain) strokes, brain aneurysms and ruptured arteriovenous malformations (abnormal tangle of blood vessels).

These include unstable angina (chest pain), aortic separation, heart attacks, acute heart failure and sudden changes in heart rhythm.

These include broken bones, dislocated joints and ruptured tendons or ligaments.

This includes treatment for children and adults who have consumed harmful amounts of toxic substances. These include over-the-counter and prescription medicines, household cleaners, insecticides and poisonous plants, berries or mushrooms. This also includes emergencies that are linked to substance abuse disorders. 

These include vaginal bleeding, severe stomach pain, sudden rise in blood pressure, decreased fetal movement and contractions that begin before 37 weeks of pregnancy.

This includes breathing problems that can be caused by asthma, COPD, pneumonia, whooping cough and severe allergic reactions.

These are life-threatening injuries and include gunshot or stab wounds, crush injuries, internal bleeding, severe burns, car accidents, falls and amputated limbs.

Specially trained staff provide care for people with mental health or substance abuse disorders. We can also admit patients for inpatient behavioral health treatment at PeaceHealth or a partner hospital.

Various tests confirm the type of illness or injury you have and how severe it is. This helps to  guide the treatment you need. These tests include blood tests, EKGs or imaging (radiology) procedures.

We can treat certain medical problems in our ED Fast Track program. This program helps to reduce wait times for people with less serious conditions. PeaceHealth can also treat minor illnesses and injuries at our immediate care clinics.

Tests to diagnose heart attacks include EKGs and cardiac catheterization (a thin tube inserted in an artery or vein). Treatments include angioplasty and stenting, and emergency bypass surgery.

Tissue needs oxygen to function. When you have an injury, your tissue will need even more oxygen than normal to heal. Diabetes, heart and vascular problems, peripheral artery disease and other conditions slow blood flow, making it harder for your body to recover.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is a painless, noninvasive treatment that delivers 100 percent oxygen at a higher-than-normal pressure. This raises the oxygen in your blood, which helps:

• Form new blood vessels, connective tissue and skin
• Improve circulation
• Boost immune system to better fight infection

What to expect

The hyperbaric medicine specialists at PeaceHealth will meet with you to go over your health history and find out if hyperbaric oxygen therapy is right for you.

You’ll lie down in a hyperbaric chamber, where the pressure will rise slowly to let your body adjust to it. At first, you may feel more pressure in your ears, similar to being in an airplane when it’s landing. You’ll stay in the chamber and breathe normally for about two hours. During this time, you can watch a movie, listen to music or just rest.

The chamber has a clear hood so you’ll be able to see outside. A trained hyperbaric technologist will keep a close eye on you during your therapy and stay in contact with you through an intercom located inside the chamber.

After treatment, you’ll be able to return to your regular daily activities right away. You’ll most likely need more than one treatment — the number of treatments depends on your condition. Treatment for a nonhealing wound may need up to 60 treatments, with several treatments each week.

Treatments include medicine to dissolve blood clots, and advanced procedures to remove blood clots (embolization or thrombectomy).

Toxicology specialists provide expert guidance when patients are exposed to hazardous, poisonous or toxic substances. 

Medical transport services, including ambulance and helicopter, are equipped with life-support equipment. We may take patients from rural communities or we may transfer certain patients to higher-level trauma centers depending on the care they need.

PeaceHealth Level II Trauma Centers are prepared to care for most life-threatening injuries. We offer radiology, anesthesiology, surgery, intensive care and advanced subspecialty care. 

Our Level IV Trauma Center provides advanced cardiac and pediatric life support. The expert trauma team evaluates, diagnoses and stabilizes injured patients before they’re moved to a higher-level trauma center.