Rady Children's Hospital San Diego

Emergency Care Center

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Emergency Care Center

The Sam S. and Rose Stein Emergency Care Center

The Sam S. and Rose Stein Emergency Care Center at Rady Children's is the only emergency care center in the region solely dedicated to caring for kids. The 36-bed emergency department provides care for an average 150 to 300 patients a day. Because children have unique needs, the Emergency Care Center at Rady Children's is designed and equipped exclusively for them and includes the following features:

  • Licensing as an emergency care facility offering specialized pediatric emergency service to children throughout San Diego, Imperial and southern Riverside counties, 24 hours a day.
  • Board-certified and board-eligible pediatric emergency medicine physicians and staff who are specially trained in trauma and emergency care.
  • An assessment room, eight general exam rooms, a three-bed observation area, a two-bed trauma resuscitation room, a medical code/treatment room and a combination general exam/family support room that provide the physical environment for comprehensive emergency care.
  • Specially designed, age-appropriate equipment to handle medical emergencies involving children of all sizes.
  • Onsite X-ray equipment that provides immediate access to a full-range of diagnostic services with a quick turn-around time.
  • An on-campus helipad and Rady Children's Hospital Emergency Transport (CHET) that form the hub of the region's pediatric emergency care transportation network.
  • Immediate assessment for walk-in patients as to the severity of their injury or illness to determine the timing and degree of treatment required.
  • A prompt return to the care of the patient's primary physician.
  • Discharge instructions in both English and Spanish.
  • Interpreters, fluent in all major languages, available 24 hours a day onsite or via a special phone service.

Please refer to our Urgent Care Centers for treatment of injuries and illnesses that are not life- or limb-threatening, but need immediate attention.

Image - ER Ambulance

Telephone Triage Line

The Triage Telephone Line is a special service offered to families of subscribing physicians. Staffed by Rady Children's pediatric nurses, the line serves as an after-hours service for doctors' offices, with nurses answering parents' questions, providing home care instructions and making referrals for care according to each physician's preference. More than100 area pediatricians subscribe to this service, which is free for families.