DiLorenzo Pentagon Health Clinic Acute Care

Acute care is set to provide state of the art medical services to military and civilian employees in a professional and customer friendly atmosphere.

Who Needs Acute Care?

Patients showing symptoms to include

• Obvious trauma
• Dizziness/Lightheadedness/Visual disturbances
• Chest pain
• Sudden weakness on one side
• Work-related injuries
• Severe allergic reactions
• Respiratory distress
• Suicidal/Homicidal ideation
• Severe pain/Uncontrolled bleeding
• Severe headaches
• Nausea/Vomiting/Diarrhea/Fever

How long will I have to wait?

• Wait time will fluctuate according to your acuity and the acuity of the patients before and after you, and the number of patients waiting to be seen.
• Patients with the highest acuity will be seen before a patient with a lower acuity level.
• The acuity level of patients is determined by the Triage Nurse and then reassessed by the Acute Care physician Transporting to National Capitol Region facilities.
• If the physician determines that your condition would be best treated at a facility with advanced capabilities, the option to transport is activated.
• Emergency patients are transported to the closest facility that is best equipped to provide the care needed. 
• For patients that require further care but are not emergent this facility will arrange transport via a civilian ambulance service to ATAMMC or WRNMMC. If the physician determines that the patients' condition is stable enough they may opt to send the patient with a non-medical person from their duty section or friend.

Who do I follow-up with?

The Acute Care physician is not a Primary care provider therefore after being seen in Acute Care all follow-up care should be made with your Primary Care physician. If you do not know who that provider is, feel free to ask one of the technicians at the front desk.

Patient Education

Stroke

• Sudden weakness or numbness in face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking, or understanding
• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
• Sudden, severe headache with no known cause

Heart Attack

Some heart attacks are sudden and intense, but most of them start slowly with mild pain or discomfort with one or more of these symptoms.

• Chest discomfort
• Discomfort in other areas of the upper body
• Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort
• Other signs including breaking out in cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness