University Hospitals Geauga Medical Center delivers caring, compassionate, 24-hour emergency care

By Laura Briedis

The only emergency department in Geauga County, University Hospitals Geauga Medical Center, a campus of UH Regional Hospitals, delivers 24-hour emergency care to adult and pediatric patients in Northeast Ohio to the Pennsylvania border.

As a Level I Stroke Center, Level I STEMI (heart attack care) and Level III Trauma Center, it is equipped with the most advanced technology and is staffed by a team of multidisciplinary specialists. The emergency providers are able to work with more than 400 UH Geauga physicians in 50-plus medical specialties to diagnose and treat a patient with an emergency condition.

According to Andrew Veverka, MD, facility medical director for emergency medicine at UH Geauga Medical Center, there are two reasons people usually go to an emergency room: pain and fear.

“The top reasons people seek emergency care are chest pain, shortness of breath, back pain, abdominal pain, headache and lacerations,” he says. “The fear of the unknown also can result in a trip to the ER. Regardless of why you come to the ER, we are here to assess and reassure.”

What may seem life-threatening to some may not to others, so Dr. Veverka urges people who feel like they are experiencing an emergency to seek emergency care to get reassurance at a minimum.

“We are with patients in the emergency room during their most vulnerable time,” says Dr. Veverka. “Even if we don’t find the complaint is necessarily emergent by nature, and maybe as severe as the person in the next room, that patient feels it is serious and may be fearful, so I do everything I can to help and become an advocate for patients.”

With a friendly and caring demeanor, Dr. Veverka sets the tone in the emergency department at UH Geauga Medical Center.

Raised in Northeast Ohio, he attended Archbishop Hoban High School, where he played soccer, volleyball and wrestled. Staying in the Buckeye State for higher education, he earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Akron and then graduated with honors from the University of Toledo College of Medicine in 2017.

“Whether participating in athletics or working in medicine, you use the same problem-solving skills,” he says. “There are always different strategies of how to approach every situation.

“Emergency medicine allows me to be creative in what resources we have available and how to utilize them to help our patients.”

“We are fully staffed 24/7 with medics, nurses, advanced practice providers, and an attending physician at all times,” he notes. “And we also work with pharmacists, radiology technicians and laboratory technicians. Everyone works together as an integral part of a patient’s care.”

UH Geauga Medical Center is also a training location for the UH residency program, so there are residents who rotate through the department and help care for patients.

To enhance life-saving care, UH Geauga Medical Center, in conjunction with the UH EMS Institute, trains EMS providers in emergency care protocol. Working closely with the region’s EMS providers, the emergency room physicians provide medical direction for more than 30 local EMS squads.

“During the summer, we see patients who are suffering from seasonal issues such as heat stroke and there are more trauma injuries as people are outdoors and more active, whether participating in sporting activities or climbing up a ladder around the house,” says Dr. Veverka.

“If you suffer an injury, we cannot give medical advice over the phone,” he says. “So if you think you are having a life-threatening emergency, call 911.”

University Hospitals Geauga Medical Center is located at 13207 Ravenna Road, in Chardon. For more information and tips on whether to go to an emergency room, urgent care center, primary care doctor, or schedule a virtual appointment, visit UHHospitals.org.