Outstanding Care. Close to Home.
The Emergency Departments at Centegra Health System bring state-of-the-art care to the people of Greater McHenry County. We treat each patient with dignity and compassion, and help families cope with difficult and sometimes traumatic situations.
Centegra Health System's Emergency Departments at Centegra Hospital - McHenry and Centegra Hospital - Woodstock handle a spectrum of emergencies, from cuts and broken bones to life-threatening conditions. Last year, more than 63,000 patients sought emergency care for lacerations, fractures, heart attacks, respiratory problems, traumas (such as injuries resulting from car, boating or farm accidents) and a variety of other injuries and illnesses.
The highly skilled Associates, physicians and staff in our Emergency Departments work with one of the best Emergency Medical Services programs in the state to be sure you are never far from outstanding emergency care.
Centegra is committed to providing comprehensive emergency services so that any type of emergency can be addressed. The Emergency Departments at Centegra Hospital - McHenry and Centegra Hospital - Woodstock are designated as Level II Trauma Centers, which means they meet strict criteria set by the State of Illinois for providing high-level emergency care.
Both hospitals are staffed 24 hours a day by full-time physicians who are board certified in emergency medicine. The hospitals also have trauma surgeons available. The specially trained nursing staffs are certified in trauma nursing, advanced cardiac life support and pediatric advanced life support. Both medical centers have immediate or quick access to X-ray equipment, CAT scanners, surgical facilities and intensive care units.
Educational Programs
Centegra's Emergency Departments also offer a range of educational programs for patients and the community. Through the Follow-up Program, Emergency Department staff check on potentially high-risk patients the day following emergency treatment and provide any necessary guidance. Some of the community programs include Think First, which provides information to junior high and high school students about preventing spinal cord injuries; and Farm Safety for grade-school children, which focuses on farming hazards and the prevention of injuries; and Safe Kids McHenry County, a chapter of Safe Kids USA, which offers events and information to help prevent childhood injury.
When time is of the essence, Flight For Life-Northern Illinois is there to provide patients appropriate emergency care. This nonprofit emergency helicopter program, which started at Centegra Northern Illinois Medical Center in 1987 as a part of the Emergency Medical Services System, serves residents of McHenry, Lake, and DuPage counties, as well as southeast Wisconsin. Centegra is one of only seven hospital systems in Illinois that has an on-site air medical transport helicopter service. Many cases that require helicopter transports involve trauma or cardiac emergencies. Others involve spinal cord injuries, amputations, burns, strokes, head injuries, high-risk obstetrics, pediatric emergencies and near-drownings.
Flight For Life is an integral part of those services. It provides transport from one hospital to another and from an accident scene to the nearest appropriate Level I Trauma Center or Tertiary Care Center. Both types of transport allow patients to receive the level of care they need in the shortest time. It may take an hour or more to get to a facility via ground transport when it can be reached by air in a matter of minutes.
In 2005, the Flight For Life team flew 632 patients to area hospitals for care. The Centegra Flight For Life helicopter is housed in a 4,000-square-foot hangar/refueling station.
Centegra's Minor Care Centers are located adjacent to Centegra Hospital - McHenry and Centegra Hospital - Woodstock's Emergency Departments. The Minor Care Centers provide treatment for patients with less-severe injuries or illnesses.
Crisis Services
McHenry County Crisis Services is the point of access for behavioral health emergencies in McHenry County. The program is funded by the McHenry County Mental Health Board and administered by Centegra Health System. We provide emergency mental health services, upon request, to all McHenry County residents. Primary goals of Crisis Services are to provide prompt, compassionate and effective mental health help during personal, family or community emergencies.