Emergency Services: St. Joseph Medical Center

When a medical emergency happens, you want nearby, expert care. At St. Joseph Medical Center, our highly trained board-certified doctors, registered nurses and other specialists have years of expertise in advanced emergency and trauma care for patients of all ages.

Emergency care in Tacoma

Our emergency specialists provide care for people with the most serious and life-threatening conditions throughout the Tacoma area. Our expert services include:

• 24-hour care, including advanced care for heart attack, stroke and trauma
• Franciscan Heart Center, the largest heart and vascular center in the South Sound
• A Level II Trauma Center with board-certified trauma surgeons and doctors and registered nurses certified in emergency medicine and advanced cardiac life support
• Highly trained neurointerventional surgeons for advanced levels of stroke care
• A Level III neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in our Family Birth Center
• An accredited acute neurological and physical rehabilitation unit
• Rooftop helipad for medical airlifts

The skilled and experienced providers, nurses and staff at St. Joseph have specialized training in emergency and trauma medicine. That means we provide superior care for you and your loved ones in any medical emergency. For their skill and expertise, our teams have earned national recognition, including:

• Accreditation for our hospital care from The Joint Commission
• Advanced certification as a Primary Stroke Center from The Joint Commission
• Beats national standards for door-to-balloon times for heart attack
• Silver award for The Medal of Honor for Organ Donation from the United States Department of Health and Human Services
• Accreditation of the Inpatient Acute Rehabilitation Unit by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF International)

Tacoma Trauma Center: Level II Trauma Care

St. Joseph provides Level II trauma services for civilians and military personnel with critical illnesses and injuries. Trauma-care duty rotates every 24 hours with MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital and Madigan Army Medical Center.

The Level II designation means that:

• St. Joseph has a trauma surgeon on site when the facility is on trauma duty.
• Cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, neurosurgeons and other medical specialists can respond within 20 minutes of being called.

Choosing the right care location

Where you go for your health care matters. Here’s a quick summary of Virginia Mason Franciscan Health’s services to help you choose the right level of treatment at the right time.

Emergency Services

For very serious or life-threatening conditions or trauma.

Primary Care

For common illnesses, minor injuries, routine health exams and long-term health maintenance.

Urgent Care

For same-day care when your regular provider isn’t available.

Franciscan Virtual Urgent Care

For 24-hour care via phone or secure web chat with board-certified providers or nurse practitioners.

Learn more about all four levels of our health care services and choosing the right care location.