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Emergency care

Emergency care is the treatment of unexpected, severe medical injuries or infections. It is typically delivered in an emergency room or an ambulance. Our emergency medicine physicians stabilize your condition as quickly as possible to prepare you for the next step of care or discharge.

Emergency room (ER) in Marion, North Carolina

If something feels wrong, you shouldn't have to wait or travel great distances to get the treatment you need.

Emergencies require swift action and expertise. At Mission Hospital McDowell, our highly-trained emergency doctors and nurses are on standby 24/7 to provide critical care with compassion and skill.

Medical airlift services

Our 24/7, regional helicopter service — Mountain Area Medical Airlift (MAMA) — provides transport if you are critically ill or injured within a 150-mile radius of Asheville. This enables our adult and pediatric care teams to get you the life-saving care you need.

Our 24/7, regional helicopter service — Mountain Area Medical Airlift (MAMA) — provides transport if you are critically ill or injured within a 150-mile radius of Asheville. This enables our adult and pediatric care teams to get you the life-saving care you need.

Conditions we treat in our emergency department

It can be difficult to know what constitutes a medical emergency. However, go to the nearest emergency room immediately if you experience any of the following:

  • Behavioral health crises
  • Broken bones
  • Chest pain
  • Concussions
  • Dangerous insect bites
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Dizziness
  • Head trauma
  • Heart attacks
  • High fever
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Nonhealing wounds
  • Organ failure
  • Pneumonia
  • Poisoning
  • Seizures
  • Severe abdominal pain
  • Severe allergic reactions
  • Strokes
  • Suspicious insect bites
  • Uncontrollable bleeding

Our emergency medical services

The goal in the ER is to quickly, carefully and effectively treat your condition. We encourage you to ask questions, so you have all the information you need during treatment.

Behavioral health services at Sweeten Creek Mental Health and Wellness Center

Our 84,000 square foot facility in Asheville offers 120 beds for both acute inpatient and outpatient mental health care. To get admitted, you must first undergo a medical screening from one of our emergency physicians to confirm conditional stability. Once this has been established, you or your loved one would be recommended a transfer to more longtime care in Asheville.

With separate and secure units for children, adolescents, adults and seniors, each age-appropriate unit has its own private outdoor courtyard, as well as a “psych-safe playground” for kids, basketball court for adults and an outdoor walking trail for seniors.

Our overall goal is to use various treatment methods to get you stabilized and through your crisis, before acquiring support in the community so you can thrive at home, rather than in the hospital.

Please call (828) 213-4696 to schedule your assessment today. If you're experiencing an emergency and you’re worried about your own or a loved one's safety, call 911 or visit the nearest emergency room immediately.

Stroke treatment

As a designated Acute Stroke-Ready Hospital, our ER team is equipped to provide rapid stroke care when the need arises, including medications. If you or a loved one has experienced a stroke, we are ready to stabilize you before transporting you to a primary or comprehensive stroke center in the region.

Stroke symptoms can vary, which can make it confusing to know when you need to seek emergency care. This is why we remind people about BEFAST, an acronym that explains stroke symptoms:

  • B – Can you keep your balance?
  • E – Are your eyes blurry?
  • F – Is your face drooping?
  • A – Do your arms have weakness or numbness?
  • S – Is your speech slurred or confused?
  • TTime to call 911!

About our ER

When you come to us for emergency care, you have access to an array of medical professionals and ER services.

Features of our 24-hour ER

Some of the features of our emergency department include:

  • Advanced imaging to detect underlying causes
    • Computerized tomography (CT) scans
    • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
    • Nuclear medicine
    • Ultrasound
    • X-ray
  • Cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons
  • Chaplains, social workers and case managers
  • Emergency medicine doctors and nurses
  • Orthopedic surgeons
  • Physical, occupational, speech and respiratory therapists
  • Radiologists
  • Trauma surgeons

The Healthy Living Blog

Read our blogs to learn about preventive care and ways you can lead a healthier lifestyle.

Mission Hospital McDowell's MATCH Program connects community members to needed services
July 03, 2025
Lee Higginbotham, CEO Mission Hospital McDowell
Mission Hospital McDowell
People can sometimes need help with learning what assistance they are eligible for and enrolling in those programs, and MATCH team members are here to help.
Mission Hospital McDowell's MATCH Program connects community members to needed services
July 03, 2025
Lee Higginbotham, CEO Mission Hospital McDowell
Mission Hospital McDowell
People can sometimes need help with learning what assistance they are eligible for and enrolling in those programs, and MATCH team members are here to help.
CEO column: consider a career in healthcare
April 24, 2025
Mission Hospital McDowell
Healthcare workers are needed in all roles, with shortages predicted to be around 100,000.

Looking for a Location?

Our Emergency care Locations

Currently Viewing:

Mission Hospital McDowell
430 Rankin Dr
Marion, NC 28752
(828) 659 - 5000

Currently Viewing:

Mission Hospital McDowell
430 Rankin Dr
Marion, NC 28752
(828) 659 - 5000
Blue Ridge Regional Hospital
125 Hospital Dr
Spruce Pine, NC 28777
(828) 765 - 4201

17.2 miles

Mission Hospital
509 Biltmore Ave
Asheville, NC 28801
(828) 213 - 1111

29.8 miles