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You may not think about having an emergency department (ED) in your community until you need one. In 2021, 5,551 patients relied on that local care at RiverView Health's ED when unexpected circumstances demanded quick action.

RiverView's ED never closes. "We offer 24/7 care under an emergency physician," reported Ashley Dufault, ED coordinator. "Our exceptional nurses and physicians strive to provide excellent, personalized care and are always continuing to enhance their skills so that RiverView's patients receive the same or better care than they would at a larger facility."

Along with the ED and on-call general surgeons, RiverView's Laboratory and Diagnostic Imaging Department also offer round-the-clock services.

Care You Need, Close to Home

RiverView is a Level IV Trauma Center. The staff has voluntarily participated in the intense designation program to become part of the Minnesota Statewide Trauma System. Level IV standards include commitment, specialized equipment and resources, and staff training. The hospital also participates in a continuous performance improvement process.

As an Acute Stroke Ready Hospital, RiverView can assess and treat potential stroke patients. The staff has advanced training in stroke care with a CT machine (used to obtain detailed internal images of the body noninvasively) to help diagnose acute strokes. Appropriate care is administered to those suffering a hemorrhagic stroke where a ruptured blood vessel causes bleeding inside the brain.

Patients needing more advanced care are transferred by ground ambulance or air in a helicopter or fixed-wing airplane to specialty hospitals across Minnesota and North Dakota.

According to Dufault, who has served in her role since July 2020, most patients visit the ED for abdominal pain, chest pain, shortness of breath, and falls.

Quality Time

The average patient spends less than two hours in RiverView's ED, Dufault revealed.

"We pride ourselves on keeping wait times low and providing efficient patient care," she shared. "One of the benefits of coming to the RiverView Emergency Department is that the physicians can spend time with each patient and get a feel for their condition and needs. They can handle any adult or child illness or injury, from minor to complex."

Dr. Nicole Lovat is the newest provider in the RiverView Emergency Department. She received her medical degree from the University of Manitoba, Faculty of Medicine, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, where she went on to receive her Ph.D. in Pharmacology & Therapeutics. She completed her residency at the University of Manitoba, as well.

Other RiverView ED providers are Dr. Bosun Fashoro, Dr. Ram Paneru, Dr. Joe Dib, and Dr. Sarah May. Specialized traveling physicians also provide care when needed.

"We also have an amazing nursing staff," Dufault said. "We are a small group of what I like to call the 'elite.' Our nurses are specially trained in trauma nursing, advanced cardiovascular life support, pediatric advanced life support, and some have Neonatal Resuscitation Program training. The nurses in the Emergency Department pride themselves on keeping their skills up to date and learning all the newest medical education. We are lucky to have such amazing nurses with incredible skills in a critical access hospital."

For more information on ED services at RiverView Health, call 281-9200.

Left to right: Ashley Dufault and Dr. Nicole Lovat