Emergency Visits
Increased Wait Times in the Emergency Department
Like hospitals around the country, we are seeing a significant increase in emergency department visits and admissions to our hospital, and this is exacerbated by the national healthcare workforce shortages. We have implemented measures to accommodate the higher volumes and deliver safe care.
When a child in our hospital or emergency department is facing a life-threatening emergency, there is no wait time.
Families who come to us with non-urgent issues will experience long waits to be seen. We anticipate our hospital volumes will remain near capacity in the near future. Families should consider whether their child could be cared for at their primary care pediatrician’s office or at a local urgent care. We also encourage families to stay up to-date on vaccines including a flu shot and the latest vaccine for COVID-19.
We encourage parents to be kind to the staff who are doing their best to care for all the children who come to our hospital.
Locations
Our pediatric emergency services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at two locations in the nation's capital:
Children’s National Hospital
111 Michigan Avenue
Washington District of Columbia 20010
Phone: 1-888-884-BEAR (2327)
Children’s National Emergency Department at United Medical Center
1310 Southern Ave., SE
Washington District of Columbia 20032
Phone: 202-741-4100
We also offer pediatric emergency services from 1 p.m. - 11 p.m., seven days a week at Luminis Health Doctors Community Medical Center, located at 8118 Good Luck Road, Lanham, MD 20706.
When to Take Your Child to the Emergency Department
Our parenting blog, Rise and Shine, gives you guidance on when to bring your child to the emergency department.
Learn more
Emergency Medicine at Children's National
The Emergency Medicine and Trauma Center at Children’s National is the only Level I Pediatric Trauma Center in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, as verified by the American College of Surgeons. As the only freestanding children’s hospital in the area, Children’s National serves as the regional referral center for pediatric emergencies. Learn more about our Emergency Department.