Urgent & Emergency Care
If you are experiencing an emergency, call 911.
NHCP offers the following services:
Urgent Care
Urgent Care services treat non-life-threatening health issues that require immediate attention, such as sprains, the flu, colds, and other common illnesses.
If you’re unsure about whether you need urgent care, contact the Military Health System Nurse Advice Line to speak to a registered nurse. Visit MHSNurseAdviceLine.com for web chat and video chat, or dial 1 - 800 - TRICARE (874 - 2273).
Emergency Care
If you are experiencing a life-threatening medical situation (including mental health emergencies), call 911 immediately or visit NHCP, if it's your nearest hospital. Emergency care services treat life-threatening medical issues such as threats to your life, limbs, sight, or safety.
The Emergency Room at Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton is available 24 hours a day to provide fast, life-saving treatment. We are staffed with Emergency Physicians, Nurses and Corpsman certified in Emergency Medicine, Advanced Cardiac Life Support and Pediatric Advanced Life Support. When you arrive in the Emergency Room you will be greeted by our knowledgeable and highly trained Triage Nurse and registration staff. The triage nurse will ask important questions such as: reason for your visit; previous medical history; names and doses of any medications you are taking; any allergies to medications; if you could be pregnant; when your last tetanus was; and status of pediatric patients’ immunizations. Then we will take your vital signs including a blood pressure, pulse, breathing rate, and temperature. From there the job of triage nurse is to determine the order in which patients need to be seen.
During certain hours we have a Fast Track area that is open to see less acute patients; commonly they address bone and joint injuries, cold symptoms and other urgent/non-emergent complaints.
The Emergency Room waiting area can be noisy and crowded, if you have specific concerns please speak with the triage Nurse. While waiting to be seen please do not eat or drink anything, certain tests and procedures require you have an empty stomach.
There may be times when your wait to be seen is longer than anticipated due to critically ill patients that must be treated first. Please understand our goal is to see all patients in a timely and safe manner. Thank you for your patience.
Emergency Room Policies
We limit visitors to one per patient in order to allow for rapid and safe care. We do not allow children under 10 that are not the patient to be in patient care areas due to the risk of infection; to protect patient confidentiality family and friends may be asked to step out.
Medications prescribed in the Emergency Room are available for pick up at the Main Pharmacy located on the first floor, north side of the hospital 24 hours a day / 7 days a week.
After 10:00 p.m., Brig Physicals and Competencies for Duty may be performed in the Emergency Room. Prior to arrival reference BUPERSINST 1640.22, DD2707, SF93 for Brig Physicals; for Competency for Duties please complete OPNAV 5527-10, OPNAV 5527-9, NAVMED 6120-1, OPNAV 5527-16 and NAVHOSPCAMPENINST 6120.2J.
Urgent & Emergency Care FAQs
What should I do if I have a non-life-threatening health issue?
Call or visit your nearest Urgent Care facility if you have a non-life-threatening health issue. If you have a life-threatening health issue, call 911 immediately.
What should I do if I have a life-threatening health issue?
Call 911 immediately to get emergency care if you have a life-threatening health issue or visit NHCP if it's your nearest hospital. To reach NHCP Emergency Care, call 760 - 719 - 4966.
What should I do if I’m still unsure if I need urgent care?
You can speak directly to a health professional using the Military Health System Nurse Advice Line to assist you with your health concern by calling 800 - TRICARE (874 - 2273).
Does NHCP provide emergency care services?
Yes. Call 760 - 719 - 4966 if you have a life-threatening health issue.
Does NHCP provide urgent care services?
No.