Call 911 for a life-threatening emergency. For help choosing the right level of care, use our Symptom Checker.

Symptom Checker

Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital is a Level II Trauma Center staffed by board-certified emergency medicine physicians who are trained and equipped to stabilize patients who have undergone major trauma or who are suffering from a heart attack, stroke or other health emergency.

In the area of pediatric emergency care, we hold a distinguished pediatric certification—Emergency Department Approved for Pediatrics—awarded by Emergency Medical Services for Children in conjunction with the Illinois Department of Public Health. This certification means we can provide superior emergency care to children in the form of preventive, acute and rehabilitative services.

Lake Forest Hospital is the only hospital in Lake County with Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago pediatric hospitalists on staff 24 hours a day, seven days a week to assist in the care of ill children. All our Emergency Department nurses are certified in pediatric advanced life support.

When to seek emergency care

Call 911 if you:

• Have a life-threatening injury/illness
• Experience head, neck or back trauma, or other major trauma
• Fear you or the patient may need medical attention before you can get to the hospital, or you have doubts about your ability to drive safely to the emergency room
• Have physical limitations preventing you from getting you or the patient to the hospital

Seek treatment from an emergency room in the following situations:

• Poisoning
• Abdominal pain with fever
• Chest or upper abdominal pain or pressure
• Severe burns
• Excessive bleeding
• Dehydration
• Fainting or loss of consciousness
• Stroke
• Severe head wound
• Major trauma
• Difficulty breathing or bluish look around the mouth
• Sudden dizziness or weakness
• Seizures
• Possible suicide or mental disorder
• Foreign object swallowed or otherwise lodged in the body
• Severe and/or persistent vomiting

Parents: To be prepared in the event that your child may need to go to the Emergency Department before you can arrive, complete this Parental Consent: Emergency Release form and leave it where it can be found easily by a teacher, neighbor or babysitter.