Pathways Crisis Intervention Services

Pathways is the behavioral health care system of West Tennessee Healthcare. The Crisis Intervention Service reports to the Center of Excellence in Emergency Services in that this service handles psychiatric emergencies. Crisis clinicians are dispatched to the client's home or to the Emergency Department to conduct assessments and make appropriate referrals. Emergency "6103" admissions for inpatient psychiatric care can be performed by members of the crisis team. Crisis staff consists of clinicians with Bachelors or Masters degrees.

Emergency Department

  Our Mission
"Our mission is to provide the best quality emergency care possible to the residents of Jackson and Madison
County and the residents of the surrounding 17-county service area of rural West Tennessee." 

The Emergency Department of Jackson-Madison County General Hospital offers emergency health services 24 hours per day to patients of all ages. The department is responsible for the immediate treatment of any medical or surgical emergency, for initiating lifesaving procedures in all types of emergency situations and for providing emergency care for other conditions, including chronic medical problems and minor injuries and illnesses.

The Emergency Department is staffed with full-time Emergency Medicine Physicians and a full staff of professional nursing personnel. The staff physicians and residents from U.T. Family Practice Medical Center are constantly available on an on-call basis.

A heli-pad is located adjacent to the Emergency Department for patients transported by air ambulance.

Jackson-Madison County General Hospital is proud of the highly qualified Emergency Nursing Staff. They are a very diverse group who have a commitment to quality care and customer service. The nursing staff is comprised of RN's, Paramedics, LPN's, orderlies and triage assistants. They stay abreast of current concepts in Emergency Nursing with inservices, continuing education programs, seminars and workshops. All Emergency Department staff members are certified in Basic Life Support and the RN's must be certified in Advanced Cardiac Life Support and Pediatric Advanced Life Support as well.

The physicians group staffing the Emergency Department is contracted to the hospital. Their director is a practicing Emergency Department Physician who serves as the Medical Director for the physician group and for the entire Emergency Department. The Emergency Department Physicians are committed to provide the highest standard of Emergency Medicine. They are experienced, well-established members of the medical community and are recognized for their expertise in Emergency Medicine.

Some facts about the Jackson General ER:

• Our ER sees over 54,000 patients a year. That is about 150 patients per day!
• We use peak staffing. That means that we attempt to have more staff available for the peak times of the day. Sometimes we have three physicians working at the same time taking care of our patients.
• The ER is really an ED. The Emergency Department has 36 rooms divided up into different areas:
• The orthopedic area is a four bed area for patients with fractures.
• The trauma area is used for our sickest patients that have been injured or who have a serious medical problem such as a heart attack.
• The sub-acute area has the capability to monitor patients who are not as seriously ill.
• The general area is reserved for patients with minor illnesses but require ER care.
• Pediatric rooms are available for the little ones.
• Radiology (X-ray) services are available in the department 24 hours a day. In department CAT scan was installed in April, 1999.
• Family members are allowed back with the patients. However, we ask that the number of visitors at any one time be kept to a minimum in respect for our other patients.

In 1998, the Department of Trauma Services was established. Trauma patients are cared for by a team of trauma surgeons, trauma physicians, and emergency department nurses and paramedics. A multi-disciplinary team approach is used to assure continuity of care. Trauma patients are resuscitated in the emergency department and taken immediately to surgery when necessary. The patient is then cared for in the Surgical Intensive Care unit by specially prepared critical care nurses.

When An Emergency Occurs

In the event of an emergency, do not hesitate to call for help. 911 is the number used in most areas in Tennessee. If you are not sure of the emergency number in your area, call your local telephone company to get the number before an emergency occurs.

When it is necessary to call, try to remain calm and give the following information:

• Your name
• Your full address
• Your telephone number
• The type of emergency (example: car wreck, chest pain, not breathing)
• Number of people injured

DO NOT HANG UP until the dispatcher tells you to do so. Med-Link also provides a call answering service for Lifeline subscribers. Subscribers pay a monthly fee for the service which initiates a call for help when a button is pushed on a bracelet or pendent.