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Emergency care

Emergency care is the treatment of unexpected, severe medical injuries or infections. It is typically delivered in an emergency room or an ambulance. Our emergency medicine physicians stabilize your condition as quickly as possible to prepare you for the next step of care or discharge.

Emergency room (ER) in Inverness, Florida

When seconds count and you need emergency care close to home, you can trust the rapid, lifesaving emergency services at HCA Florida Citrus Hospital.

Our emergency room provides expert care 24/7 to more than 40,000 patients each year, making our 28-bed facility one of the most experienced emergency rooms in Citrus County.

Additionally, many of the physicians in our emergency department are board-certified, and many of the nurses hold advanced certifications in trauma training, advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) and pediatric advanced life support (PALS).

Our emergency services

When you choose our emergency room, you are choosing some of the most qualified providers in Inverness, Florida, who all work together to help you heal. 

Fast Track ER

If you have an injury or illness that is less severe or not life-threatening, we offer the Fast Track ER. This is a service of our main emergency room that focuses on your comfort and care in an expedited process, ensuring a reduced length of stay in the emergency room.

Shorter emergency room wait times

When it comes to emergency care, our goal is to continually work toward enhancing the care you receive, while reducing our wait times. This ensures you get the care you need, when you need it most.

Our wait times are updated every 30 minutes and are available on our website and digital screens on roadside billboards throughout the region.

To find out the wait times of the HCA Florida emergency room nearest to you, check the top of our website or text “ER” to 32222.

Note: Message and data rates may apply. Emergency room wait times are approximate and provided for informational purposes only.

Important information

Your safety, above all else.

When to go to the emergency room

We understand it can be hard to know what type of medical care you need, like whether you should go to the emergency room or wait for your doctor's office to open.

However, we want you to feel secure about your choice for care, which is why we've created a list of symptoms that may indicate you need to visit the emergency room:

  • Back pain, when it is unbearable or accompanied by fever, numbness, weakness, confusion, slurred speech, vision loss or loss of control over bladder or bowels
  • Broken bones, when the pain is severe or there is a visible deformity
  • Chest pain, when it is crushing or squeezing and accompanied by other heart attack symptoms, such as shortness of breath or nausea
  • Concussion, when you have lost consciousness, even briefly, or experience amnesia, vomiting, slurred speech or a seizure
  • Flu, when symptoms become severe, such as having trouble breathing, vomiting uncontrollably or becoming dehydrated
  • Side pain, when it is severe and occurs in the lower right stomach, side or back or is accompanied by fever, nausea, diarrhea or blood in the urine
  • Stomach pain, when accompanied by a hard or tender stomach, nausea, shortness of breath, fever or irregular heartbeat
  • Trouble breathing, when breathing stops, is noisy or high-pitched and comes with pain in the chest or severe shortness of breath

If you are unsure if your symptoms require an emergency room visit, you can speak to a nurse 24/7 by calling our Consult-A-Nurse® team at (305) 285-2929.


What to expect at the emergency room

When you get to the emergency room, one of our triage nurses will assess your symptoms and vital signs. Next, a registration clerk will collect your insurance card (if available) and other information.

We medically screen, evaluate and stabilize all patients — whether or not they have insurance or are able to pay.

Anyone who has severe, life-threatening illnesses or injuries will be treated first. Everyone else will be treated in the order they arrive.

Before discharge, we encourage you to ask our emergency care teams any questions you have. It is also useful for you to keep all of your paperwork, discharge information and medicines or prescriptions together after you leave the emergency room.

After discharge, our emergency department staff will reach out to your primary care provider to ensure they are updated on your care.


What to bring to the emergency room

When coming to the emergency room, we recommend you bring:

  • A list of medicines you currently take
  • A list of known allergies
  • Copies of results from recent medical tests, if available
  • Personal care preferences and restrictions
  • A responsible adult or phone number for someone to contact

Montana's Story

In the early morning hours of June 12, Montana Ritter awoke in a panic. The 9 year old – who had recently battled a nasty cold – could feel her throat closing shut. She let out a noise that brought her family to their feet. Fearing the worst, the family quickly ushered Montana to the Citrus Hospital ER. “I wasn’t expecting so many people to surround us,” said mother Christy Ritter. “I’d been to this ER in the past and the experience wasn’t great. I was so scared, but this team was impressive.” Sharon Stevens, ER Director and Tiffany Thomason, RN share how they had to make quick decisions.

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Our Emergency care Locations

Currently Viewing:

Citrus Hospital
502 W Highland Blvd
Inverness, FL 34452
 (352) 726-1551

Currently Viewing:

Citrus Hospital
502 W Highland Blvd
Inverness, FL 34452
 (352) 726-1551
Trailwinds Village Emergency
6131 Seven Mile Drive
Wildwood, FL 34785
 (352) 461 - 5200

20.4 miles

West Marion Hospital
4600 SW 46th Ct
Ocala, FL 34474
 (352) 291 - 3000

22.7 miles