Local ER Marks Two Years of Care, Differences From Urgent Care
On November 18th, the Plaistow Emergency Room, a department of Parkland Medical Center, celebrated 2 years of bringing fast, reliable, around-the-clock care to our community. Since opening in 2023, they’ve seen over 20,000 patients, with about 40% of patients coming from Massachusetts. So what’s drawing people to the Plaistow ER? For starters, the average wait time is less than two minutes. Yes, only two minutes between entering the building and being seen, but speed is only part of the story.
The Plaistow Emergency Room is built for the moments you can’t plan for, and they’re open 24/7, 365 days a year. Every patient is treated by board-certified emergency physicians and nurses. The ER is packed with the same advanced technologies and services you would find in a full-service hospital ER: an onsite laboratory, X-ray, CT scan, trauma room, decontamination room, isolation room, and more. When the unexpected happens, this is where you want to be. The ER is also a stroke center extension of Parkland, which means they use top-level telehealth technology to connect instantly with neurologists. That allows stroke evaluations to happen in real time, a huge advantage when every second counts. The emergency care team can treat a wide range of conditions, including:
- Minor illness and injury treatment (sprains, strains, breaks, falls, cough, colds, UTIs)
- Major medical concerns (drug overdose, burns, sepsis)
- Heart concerns (chest pain, shortness of breath, heart failure, cardiac arrest)
- Respiratory issues (asthma, COPD, respiratory arrest, shortness of breath)
- Neurological conditions (seizure, migraines, minor head injuries)
- Care for animal bites, allergic reactions, cuts and wounds
- Acute and chronic behavioral health conditions (with convenient transfer to Parkland Medical Center’s inpatient behavioral health program, if needed)
These are different amenities than what you would find at most Urgent Cares, which are great for treating minor illnesses and usually staffed by nurse practitioners or physician assistants, with varying open hours.
Of course, what really makes the ER feel different is the people inside it. The staff here is known for being warm, kind, and genuinely connected to one another… they even have their own book club! That sense of teamwork is evident in how they care for patients, with staff supporting one another so they can better care for the community. As the ER heads into its third year, the staff is proud of what they’ve built: a place where you’re seen quickly, treated by experts, and cared for by people who truly love their work!
Plaistow Emergency Room
26 Plaistow Road
Plaistow, NH 03865
Telephone: (603) 257-2100
