Emergency Services
When you face a possible life-threatening emergency, rest assured that we will give you our full attention and diligent care. Getting to the heart of the problem – properly diagnosing and determining the best course of case – can take time. We promise to give you the time you deserve for the care you need. Our experienced Emergency Department staff is trained to recognize and act quickly to treat the most urgent, time-sensitive cases first. However, please know that each of our patients is a priority, and we promise to give you the complete and thorough care necessary to alleviate any fears and get you back on the path to better health.
What to Expect
After you check in at the reception desk, a nurse will ask you about your symptoms and medical history to determine the severity of your medical condition. This process, called triage, helps determine which patients to treat first. Patients are treated according to the seriousness of their condition, not their arrival time. Depending on your condition, we will either immediately take you to an exam room where a doctor will examine you and plan your care, escort you to the lab for tests or x-rays or ask you to take a seat in the waiting room until a physician or exam room becomes available. If your condition worsens or you feel you've had an unusually long wait, please talk with someone at the reception desk.
After treatment, we will either admit you to Freeman hospital, transfer you to another facility, or dismiss you. If you are dismissed, we will give you written discharge instructions to explain your aftercare. Depending on your condition, you may wish to have a family member or friend review the discharge information.
Emergency Medicine for the Joplin Area
Certified by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services as a Level II Trauma Center, the Dr. Robert & Dorothy Willcoxon Emergency/Trauma Center at Freeman West provides comprehensive emergency care 24 hours a day.
Freeman doctors and nurses offer free forensic exams and compassionate care to adult female and male sexual assault victims through the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program at Freeman West Emergency Room.
Freeman West Emergency Room
1102 West 32nd Street
Joplin, MO
417.347.6656
Emergency Medicine for the Neosho Area
Freeman Neosho provides the community with an emergency room staffed 24 hours a day by experienced ER physicians.
Freeman Ambulance Service covers the entire 540-mile McDonald County area, averaging more than 60,000 miles per year per ambulance. Freeman Ambulance Service provides reliable, safe and comfortable equipment to serve patients, particularly on the often difficult, rural roads of McDonald County.
Freeman Neosho Emergency Room
113 West Hickory Street
Neosho, MO
417.451.1234
Air Ambulance
MedFlight provides access to emergency medical services through helicopters designed as “flying intensive care units.” Freeman West has two helipads located outside Freeman Heart & Vascular Institute and one hot off-load helipad with direct elevator access to state-of-the-art emergency room trauma bays. MedFlight air ambulance also provides emergency transport services to and from Freeman Neosho.
The MedFlight team consists of registered nurses and critical care paramedics experienced in trauma, cardiac, and critical care and hold advanced certifications in their area of specialty.
MedFlight pilots are trained to fly in various conditions and all crew members utilize night vision goggles when appropriate. Pilots have a minimum of 2,000 hours of flight experience and are put through recurrent training on emergency procedures several times a year.
Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Program
Through the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program, Freeman doctors and nurses offer free forensic exams and compassionate care to adult female and male sexual assault victims at the Freeman Hospital West Emergency Room in Joplin. The program provides a coordinated hospital response and comprehensive care for victims of sexual violence. Click here to learn more.
Emergency Room or Urgent Care?
It can be difficult to decide which type of care to seek in the event of a medical issue, but there can be a big difference in time and money. If your condition is not life-threatening, you can visit one of the Freeman Urgent Care clinics listed below.
Non-life threatening
Freeman Urgent Care walk-in clinics provide quick, convenient care for health needs that are not life threatening, but can’t wait until the next day or longer. They are open outside of regular business hours and are less expensive than emergency department care. Examples of conditions that can be dealt with in an urgent care clinic include:
- Ear infections
- Low fever, mild flu, or cold symptoms
- Insect bites and stings
- Minor injuries
- Mild or moderate aches and pains
- Minor rashes, cuts, and bites
Life threatening
Call 911 or visit the emergency room immediately if you are in severe pain or your condition is endangering your life. Examples of medical emergencies include:
- Suspected heart attack
- Suspected stroke
- Broken bones
- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
- Sudden or severe pain
- Coughing up or vomiting blood
Emergency Medicine Residency
With a medical staff of more than 300 physicians, state-of-the-art trauma center, and a 40-bed ICU, Freeman serves as a tertiary referral center for northeast Oklahoma, southeast Kansas, and northwest Arkansas, as well as southwest Missouri.
- 3-year program
- Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education accredited
- Takes place in Level II Trauma Center at Freeman West, which handles more than 115,000 visits each year
- Strong balance of hands-on procedural experience coupled with an equally strong academic program
- Teaching faculty of experienced emergency medicine professionals committed to teaching future physicians
- Number of Positions: 18
- Salary and Benefits
Competitive salary and benefit program
- Educational stipend
- Health and dental benefits
- Paid professional fees including college memberships and training licensure fees
How to Apply
- Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) applications accepted September 15-November 15.
- Interviews take place October-December.
- Residents matched in March.
- Apply here or contact your college of osteopathic medicine clinical education office.
Contact
Stephanie Lea, MOL, C-TAGME, Administrative Director of Medical Education
Alisha Wright, DO, Emergency Medicine Program Director
Brenda Barger-Saunders, Medical Education Program Coordinator
Freeman Graduate Medical Education
1102 W. 32nd St.
Joplin, MO 64804
417.347.6612
417.347.3775 (fax)
Emergency Room Locations
