Pediatric emergency care
Pediatric emergency room (ER) in San Antonio
Specialists in our pediatric ER are ready 24/7 to provide fast, expert care for your child.
At Methodist Children’s Hospital, your child’s care is our highest priority. Our dedicated team of pediatricians, emergency medicine physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, and support staff provides expert, pediatric-focused care. Our physicians collaborate closely with a full range of pediatric subspecialists, ensuring comprehensive, coordinated treatment tailored to your child’s needs.
Expert advice, available 24/7
Free health-related advice is just a phone call away. Our licensed nurses will help you understand your symptoms, answer health-related questions, and navigate where to seek care.
Free health-related advice is just a phone call away. Our licensed nurses will help you understand your symptoms, answer health-related questions, and navigate where to seek care.
Related specialties
Learn more about our related specialties.
Safe, compassionate emergency treatment for children of all ages
Your safety is our priority
At our hospital, we are focused on providing the community with the care you need, rooted in a safe, nurturing environment. In this pursuit, our team has continuously enhanced safety measures and protocols for patients, visitors, physicians and staff.
When should you bring your child to the ER
We are equipped to provide emergency pediatric care for a wide range of conditions and injuries, and recommend that you seek emergency care immediately if your child is experiencing any of these conditions:
- Body numbness, tingling or weakness
- Breathing troubles
- Broken bones
- Burns
- Dangerous or toxic ingestion
- Difficulty speaking or slurred speech
- Head injury
- Unresponsiveness
- Urgent fever
- 3 months old and younger — Any temperature greater than 100.4°F
- 3 to 6 months old — Oral temperature greater than 102°F
- 6 to 24 months old — Oral temperature greater 102°F lasting more than one day
- 2 to 17 years old — Oral temperature greater than 102°F and one or more of these factors:
- Seems unusually irritable, lethargic and uncomfortable
- Lasts longer than three days
- Doesn't respond to medication
Region's first sensory-friendly pediatric ER
We are proud to offer the community a fully-equipped emergency with the capability to care for children with sensory needs. Services we offer include:
- Menu with more than 20 sensory-friendly items, customizable for your child's specific sensory need
- Sensory-trained ER nurses and Certified Child Life Specialists at the bedside
- Specially designed treatment rooms equipped with dimmable lights and additional upgrades to promote calmness
Please let us know if your child can benefit from this program by notifying the nurse at check-in.
Our freestanding ER locations
In addition to our main hospital ER, we have freestanding emergency rooms located throughout our community to help provide the emergency care you need, close to home. These locations include:
- Methodist ER Boerne
- Methodist ER De Zavala
- Methodist ER Legacy Trails
- Methodist ER Helotes
- Methodist ER Nacogdoches
- Methodist ER Westover Hills
- Methodist ER Alamo Heights
If your child is at a freestanding ER but needs more specialized care, our transport team can quickly move your child to Methodist Children's Hospital at no cost to your family via a fleet of ambulances owned and operated by Methodist Healthcare and staffed by our specialty-trained pediatric transport team.
What to expect at the pediatric ER
When you and your child arrive at the pediatric ER, a triage nurse will assess your child's illness or injury. You will then be asked to have a seat in our child-friendly waiting area until we are ready to see your child. Our emergency room has translation services available for anyone who does not speak English.
Please know that we will always attend to your child as quickly as we can, but if another child arrives after your child and is experiencing a more dangerous or threatening illness or injury, our care team will need to see this child before yours. Even if the waiting room is empty, you may experience a wait if the exam rooms are full or many doctors and nurses are attending to a particularly serious case.
Our care team will ask a series of questions based on your child's needs. A series of tests may need to be administered to determine the best course of care.
Cost of emergency pediatric care
The cost associated with an ER visit can be higher than a visit to an urgent care clinic or your child's pediatrician because the ER is home to a much larger care team and the most advanced, life-saving medical technology.
It also helps to be aware of your insurance benefits. If you are unsure, call your insurance company and speak with a representative who should be able to explain your benefits, costs and copays. We offer various patient financial resources to help estimate pricing for hospital services.
Visiting our children's ER
We are located on the first floor of the children's tower and offer a drive-up valet service. While most visitors choose our free valet service, you may also park in one of our parking garages. Be sure to bring a list of medications your child is currently taking with you to the ER.
Videos about our Pediatric emergency care services
Virtual tour of of the sensory-friendly pediatric ER
Introducing the region's first sensory-friendly emergency room, located right here in San Antonio, Texas, at Methodist Children's Hospital. Our new program focuses on averting and avoiding over stimulation to make every step of the emergency medical care process easier for children with autism and sensory needs along with their parents. Take a virtual tour to learn more about our customizable sensory-friendly rooms.