Freestanding Emergency Rooms in The Villages
 

We're looking into an Independent Living Facility we saw on Wingnuts YouTube channel located on 466a and Buena Vista Blvd in the Trailwinds area. We noticed there is a Freestanding ER (HCA Florida Trailwinds Village Emergency) literately right next to it. The question is in the case of an emergency such as stroke, cardiac arrest, ect would the Paramedic Unit bring them to this facility or do they bypass these Freestanding ERs for a Hospital ? And what is the quality of treatment in these ERs in a life-threatening scenario ? UF Health Leesburg Hospital and UF Health Spanish Plaines Hospital are 12 miles and 9 miles respectively from this location. Thank you...

I called the ER and asked that specific question. Their answer was that the 911 ambulance will take you to their facility if you request it, unless you are having a heart attack. In that case, they will take you to The Villages Hospital because the hospital is better prepared to treat you.

My wife has been taken by ambulance to Trailwinds. We think very highly of them.

I don't know VPSD's specific policies, but based on my experience on a volunteer fire department in VA, It's probably "The nearest appropriate facility". The key word is appropriate. If you have a minor injury or undefined illness, you'd likely go to the standalone ER. If you have major trauma, they may go to the nearest trauma center, HCA Ocala. If you're having a heart attack or stroke, they'll go to the nearest facility certified for those treatments. If you have significant burn injuries they may go to a burn center in Orlando, Gainesville, or Tampa, (though for us a ride that long that would likely prompt a helicopter) etc, etc.

All that being said, we could sometimes be convinced to go to a further facility if the patient seemed stable enough and requested it because their doctor was there or they were recently discharged and the Drs and staff most familiar with their care were there and the area had sufficient coverage (ie, there wasn't a house fire or some major accident draining the dept's resources at the time)

Thanks RG, we'll be heading over there in the next two weeks or so to speak with the staff and doctors. Thanks for the heads up.



Thanks Greg, their web page indicates:
"we offer the same exceptional care you would find at any of our emergency room locations" and states "board-certified emergency medicine specialists
Nurses certified/trained in: Advanced cardiac life support (ACLS)"

which would indicated they should be able to handle heart attacks, cardiac arrest, stroke, ect though Retired Guy spoke with them and was told 'the 911 ambulance will take you to their facility if you request it, unless you are having a heart attack. In that case, they will take you to The Villages Hospital'.

So I'm not clear on why an 'ER' staffed with ACLS personnel would divert a heart attack. Sounds more like a glorified Urgent Care.

That said, I think with the growth in TV it's time to build another hospital.



Taken from their website:

HCA Florida Trailwinds Village Emergency is a campus of HCA Florida Ocala Hospital. As part of their emergency care network, we offer the same exceptional care you would find at any of our emergency room locations.

Trailwinds Village Emergency features:
11 private exam rooms
24/7 adult and pediatric emergency care
Comprehensive laboratory services
Designated trauma treatment room
Diagnostic imaging services, which include:
Dedicated computerized tomography (CT) scan rooms
Ultrasound
X-ray
Highly skilled, board-certified emergency medicine specialists
Nurses certified/trained in:
Advanced cardiac life support (ACLS)
Pediatric advanced life support (PALS)
Advanced trauma care
Pediatric emergency and neonatal resuscitation

HCA Florida Trailwinds Village Emergency

FYI, I’m a retired medic, and my wife Runs a standalone ER.

No, it’s a fully staffed and equipped ER. But with an active heart attack, you will likely need a cardiac catheterization, which needs to go to the hospital to treat definitively.

In an ambulance with ACLS personnel, the transport time to a further away hospital is not relevant. But for an unrecognized heart attack, the Standalone ER can provide very advanced care and stabilization prior to transport to the hospital.

OP, unfortunately both myself and my wife have had to use Trailwinds ER twice each with GREAT results, I recommend this facility.

Trailwinds ER = You will be transported to a Hospital in " Ocala "... Period !

Otherwise you will be given a choice if picked up by an Ambulance the question that you will be asked which ER do you wish to go to...The Villages or Leesburg.

This comes from experience I have been to both: My choice if asked a 3rd time would be " Leesburg ".

The Villages simply does Not have the Staffing & is unable to cope.

that ER on 466A is associated with Ocala hospitals. That is where they will take you, if necessary. The ER on 44 across from Brownwood is associated with Leesburg and Villages hospital. That is where they will take you if necessary. They are both excellent!

We live in southern Marion County close to the HCA ER on 441. Based on our experiences, (and we've had plenty) the ambulance would take us to the ER for minor stuff or directly up to the trauma center in Ocala for more serious stuff. My wife was being treated for a condition in Gainesville and sometimes the HCA ER would send her all the way to Gainesville in an ambulance if she needed it. I highly recommend the HCA ER on 441 and expect the others would be as good.

For the medical professionals on this thread, is there some reason that you wouldn’t include the UF Emergency facility on 44 in Brownwood? Is is simply proximity or a question for staff?

Agree with the praise for Trailwinds ER. Been twice this year for a fall and received exceptional care. Keep in mind, however, it’s ER prices.

I disagree with you on The Villages ER, based on my recent experience (6) weeks ago. I chose The Villages only because it was closer & I wanted to see for myself whether they were Good or Bad based on what I have read.
My opinion: They the staff were terrific, however, wait, wait, wait is the norm to go from the ER to a room...why ? Staffing ! They The Villages simply do not have enough staff to cope. Plus The Villages Hospital is limited on what procedures they are able to do

Leesburg ER is 100% the complete total opposite. Ocala Regional is on par with Leesburg.

They will definitely bypass the freestanding ERs and that is a very good thing

What are the chances that the recent kick to the wallet that Villages Health has taken as a result of their $360 million "billing discrepancy" is or will be impacting the quality of their ER service? If they had to borrow to make payroll, it stands to reason that they will be squeezing every penny, and that personnel/services may indeed be on the chopping block.

That possibility alone would be enough motivation, should it ever be needed, for my wife and I to avoid the Villages Hospital ER unless there were absolutely no other choice.

The Villages Health
 

The Villages Hospital is not associated with the Villages Health, where the "billing discrepancy" happened. That is a common misconception. Avoiding the ER there may be prudent for other reasons but that one is not one of them.

It’s situational. Not OSFA.
It will depend on the nature of the call, staffing & availability.
The ambulance crew radios the facility they deem best, a supervising physician can divert them to another facility.

Bottom line is to trust your ambulance crew agency to know what to do in each case. They are highly trained.

If you want more info talk to the VPSD & Sumter County EMS, mnot the facilities.

UF Brownwood ER facility
 

Both myself and my wife have gone to UF Brownwood for various acute problems and received excellent service and care and transport when needed. Both of us are medical professionals.

ER Qualifications
 

With respect to "qualifications" of ER personnel, I offer the following info.
ERs require MDs and Registered Nurses (RNs) to be certified (not trained) in Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Pediatric & Neonatal Life Support (if children & babies are seen), + a whole host of other certifications. RNs are often certified in Trauma Life Support which is different from ACLS & needed in units where a lot of trauma injuries are seen.

Cardiac arrests, strokes, respiratory emergencies often require management of blood clots in the body and all EDs are required to have these therapies/medications on board AND the medical and nursing staff are required to know indications, how it's given, side effects etc.

The most important decision in my humble opinion in a truly life saving emergency is to get the person to the nearest ER that can manage that condition, NOT bypassing EDs so one (the patient) can get to their preferred hospital. This is why paramedics are so invaluable in their roles as the 1st line of assessment and evaluation outside the hospital.

Most people are totally unaware of the level of knowledge, skill, and expertise of paramedics and we are so fortunate to have paramedics on most ambulances in this part of the country. That said, an EMT staffed ambulance does not have the same level of expertise & thusly not the same level of decision making abilities.

Once in an ED, the MD makes the determination whether the patient can be managed there or must be air lifted/transported to a Level 1 Trauma center (UF/Shands), a Certified Stroke Center, or a Cardiac Care Center for more advanced treatment/intervention. Local hospitals have varying strengths; one with greater cardiac technology and the other more skillful cardiologists.

The best advise I can offer family members is to keep a vigilant eye on your family member whether in the ED or hospital setting by asking questions of the medical/nursing staff, keeping a family member at the BEDSIDE, 24/7 to ensure they continue to be safe and their treatment is consistent. This vigilance will pay off in big dividends in the best outcome for your loved one.

Most medical professionals won’t publicly comment on what doctors or facilities NOT to go to. More commonly will suggest a different facility or physician. Even with family, suggest a different avenue, yet will not openly give reasons, why one should choose differently

i'll never forget when a family member needed a neurologist at
now uf health spanish plaines they were told none were on staff at the time. This was about 10 years ago. They had to send the various tests results out to uf leesburg hospital.

I agree with everything you said, with one caveat:
Get to the nearest ER that can STABILIZE that condition. Many many strokes, cardiac events, and other medical emergencies are not initially recognized as such.
An urgent care will call 911 and say "we're not equipped to handle this."
Meanwhile, a Freestanding ER **IS** equipped to handle anything that walks in the doors.
My wife's Freestanding ER has handled gunshots, stabbings, cardiac arrests, major traumas, and numerous other things. They stabilize and then transport. Those patients would not have survived if they had decided to go to a further away hospital.
If you suspect a real, serious medical emergency, call 911. If you are driving to the ER, go to the closest one regardless of whether it's a freestanding or a hospital-based ER.
All the staff are real ER-qualified nurses and doctors. My wife's staff rotate between her freestanding ER and the main ER at the hospital.
For minor injuries and illnesses, then yes, make you choice based on preferred system/network.
Personally, I think freestanding ERs provide exceptional care, especially for minor issues that will have you waiting for hours at the main ER.

EMT are triage that is why they go to different places based on your condition and how busy different ER’s are at the time.

I suggest everyone check your insurance plans and find out what urgent care, ER, and hospital are in your network before you need them and put them in your phone.

If you get call your spouse is on way to hospital, BRING LONGEST CHARGING CORD AND WALL CUBE along with change of clothes with underwear and toiletries as you may be there a while and they will probably keep overnight if heart related.

You say you are looking into Independent Living. We will be Charter Residents at Trailwinds (behind freestanding ER on 466A). There is a group of us getting together once a month. Let us know if interested in joining us.

Absolutely agree! The freestanding ER on 44 near Brownwood recently saved my neighbor’s life when his wife took him there and they immediately recognized he was having a massive heart attack. The obvious symptoms happened after he arrived, so he and his wife didn’t suspect it was his heart while they were still at home. The ER stabilized him and then had him transported to Leesburg Hospital. He’s doing very well now. We’re thankful we have that facility close to home.

Not necessary. By Law.

Emergencies need immediate care.

Read online or call your provider to understand.