The Department of Emergency Medicine at UI Health Care and UI Stead Family Children's Hospital provides care for the most critically ill adults and children in a patient and family-centered atmosphere. 

The department handles emergency cases from throughout Iowa and surrounding states. We work closely with the medical and surgical departments at UI Health Care and UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital to optimize the care and outcomes of patients of all ages.

The department's clinical enterprise is staffed with board-certified emergency medicine and pediatric emergency medicine specialists. Presently, the UI Health Care and UI Stead Family Children's Hospital serve as a Level 1 Trauma Center for adults and children in Iowa.

The Department of Emergency Medicine has developed a continuum of emergency care services. The most intensive level of service involves the 44-bed emergency department located within the UI Health Care. It averages approximately 50,000 visits annually and includes 6 dedicated pediatric emergency rooms, three trauma bays, two psychiatric emergency rooms, and one room dedicated to dental, ear, nose, throat, or eye emergencies.

Patient care efforts continue to grow as the emergency department accounts for a large portion of all hospital admissions. The Department of Emergency Medicine also provides additional services to aid care to Iowans including arranging efficient transfers from outside hospitals for admission to the UI Health Care.