Emergency Services

The Southern Inyo Hospital Emergency Department is a critical link in the chain of survival for our remote region. We serve patients from as far away as Death Valley as well as patients who are injured in the remote back country of the Inyo National Forest, who would otherwise have to continue driving to Bishop (60 miles to the north) or Ridgecrest (75 miles to the south). The department includes two emergency beds, as well as several acute care beds that can be converted to emergency beds on an as-needed basis. The department is staffed by an experienced nursing staff competent in the specialized skill-set of rural emergency medicine, and an on-call physician provided through the EMCare Physician’s Group, which staffs small emergency rooms throughout California and the west coast. We are committed to providing the highest quality of care to the residents and guests of our district.

Our ambulance service is provided by the Lone Pine Volunteer Fire Department, which operates three ambulances on an on-call basis from a central firehouse in Lone Pine. The ambulances are staffed by volunteer EMTs and a paramedic who hail from Lone Pine and vicinity. Patients who require transfers are transported by ambulance, fixed-wing plane, or helicopter to the nearest and most medically appropriate facility. Lower-acuity cases are often transferred to Northern Inyo Hospital in Bishop, while high acuity cases are generally sent to Washoe Medical Center in Reno, NV, or Loma Linda University, near San Bernadino, CA depending on the nature of the injury or illness

All emergency medical personnel are certified by the Inland Counties Emergency Medical Agency (ICEMA) and have received training that meets national standards for safety and quality. For more information on joining the ambulance corps, please contact LeRoy Kritz, Fire Chief, at P.O. Box 159, Lone Pine, CA 93545, or (760)876-4626.