Our Emergency Department (ED) provides 24/7 emergency care all year round. A dedicated team of physicians and nurses is always available to help patients with urgent medical needs.

What We Treat

We are equipped to handle a wide range of emergencies, including:

• Trauma
• Heart attacks
• Fractures
• Sudden illnesses
• Chronic condition flare-ups

We also have Estevan’s first helipad for air ambulance services (STARS) and are a certified Primary Stroke Centre with a CT scanner for stroke care.

When You Arrive: What to Expect

We treat patients based on the CTAS Scale, not the order of arrival.

Triage Process:

Who goes first and how is urgency of a patient’s need determined?

The first thing that happens when you arrive in the emergency department is triage. Triage sorts patients according to the urgency of their need for care. Those with the most immediate need will be seen first.

1. People who have the most urgent need – for example, those involved in a trauma whose hearts have stopped beating, or at risk of dying – are seen first.
2. Second to be seen are the very urgent cases – examples include those with chest pain, trouble breathing, or with large broken bones.
3. Third are the urgent cases – including those with asthma attacks, stomach pains or high fever, etc.
4. Less urgent are those, for example, who need stitches, have smaller broken bones, or a sore ear, eye or throat.
5. Not urgent are those who need stitches removed, or who need a prescription renewal.

If you feel your condition, mental or physical, or the condition of your loved one, has worsened since you arrived, please inform a triage nurse.

Emergency Room Wait Times

• Patients are seen based on the severity of their condition, determined by urgency of their symptoms, not arrival time.
• Wait times start after registration and triage but don’t reflect the total length of your visit.

Saskatchewan Healthline – 811

If you’re unsure whether you need emergency care, you can call HealthLine 811 for free, confidential health advice from registered nurses, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They can help assess your symptoms and provide guidance on next steps. However, if you are experiencing a medical emergency—such as chest pain, difficulty breathing, severe injury, or signs of a stroke—go to the Emergency Room immediately or call 911. For non-urgent health concerns, you can contact HealthLine by dialing 811 or visiting HealthLine 811 for more information.