Emergency and Urgent Care | Lakeridge Health

Lakeridge Health's Emergency Departments provide 24-hour access to care for people experiencing trauma or sudden illness. We have Emergency Departments at our Ajax-Pickering, Bowmanville, Oshawa, and Port Perry hospitals.

When you arrive in the Emergency Department, you will visit the Triage Nurse who will assess your problem. Please be prepared with your health card, a list of medications and allergies, and emergency contact information.

When should I visit the Emergency Department?

You should go to your nearest Emergency Department if you require emergency or urgent care related to a serious injury, illness, or condition. Please note that the examples listed below are not exhaustive.

Adults

Go to your nearest Emergency Department if you or a family member experiences any of the following:

Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath when doing very little or resting
Continuous vomiting or severe diarrhea with signs of dehydration such as dry tongue, dry mouth, decreased peeing (no urine for the past 6-8 hours), or very yellow/orange, dark urine
Stiff neck and sensitivity to light
Seizures or convulsions
Confusion or disorientation
Chest pain or tightness in the chest
A broken bone or a wound that may need stitches
Sudden, severe headaches, vision problems, sudden weakness, numbness and/or tingling sensations, trouble speaking, dizziness

Infants, Children, and Youth

Fever when
- Child is less than three months old
- Child has complex medical or immune system problems
Trouble breathing that doesn’t improve with fever medications or your child’s puffers
Vomiting or diarrhea when
- Child is less than three months old
- Child experiences repeated vomiting and is unable to keep liquids down (any age, if it lasts eight hours or more)
- It contains large amounts of blood
- Child is dehydrated (eight hours or more with no urination)
Injuries
- Injured arm or leg that looks crooked, deformed or dislocated
- A fall with pain the neck, chest or stomach
- A burn that is blistering
- Head injury with extreme tiredness, loss of consciousness, and/or repeated vomiting
- Cuts that won’t stop bleeding or that are deep or big that might need stitches
- Eye injuries
Rashes that look like bruising, with a fever

As a parent or guardian, you know your child best. For more information to help you decide if the Emergency Department is right for you, read this patient handout.

Emergency Department Discharge Instructions

We have developed instruction sheets for various conditions to help with your care at home after you have been discharged from the Emergency Department.
If you have any concerns, please contact your physician, health-care provider or the Emergency Department without delay.

Where do I go if I need health care but it's not an 'emergency'?

If you need emergency care, please go to your nearest Emergency Department immediately. If you do not need emergency care, there are other health-care options close by.

Go to our Urgent Care Options page to learn about other health-care options.
You can find a family doctor, urgent care centre, or walk-in clinic by visiting Health Connect Ontario, Ontario's Health Care Options page.

You can also call Telehealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0000 to speak to a Registered Nurse.

Directions to our Emergency Departments

Lakeridge Health Ajax Pickering Emergency Department

580 Harwood Ave S, ON L1S 2J4
905-683-2320

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Lakeridge Health Bowmanville Emergency Department

47 Liberty Street South, Bowmanville, ON L1C 2N4
905-623-3331

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Lakeridge Health Oshawa Emergency Department

1 Hospital Court, Oshawa, ON L1G 2B9
905-576-8711

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Lakeridge Health Port Perry Emergency Department

451 Paxton Street, Port Perry, ON, L9L 1L9
905-985-7321

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