Last checked: October 12, 2026. In an emergency, call 911 rather than driving yourself to the Mercy Fitzgerald emergency room. Don’t stop to read a guide first.
The Mercy Fitzgerald emergency room is open 24 hours a day, every day, at 1500 Lansdowne Avenue in Darby, PA 19023. It takes walk-in patients, and you can let staff know you are on the way through the MyChart patient portal. Plan for a long visit: the latest federal data puts the typical stay at close to four hours. For the rest of the hospital, from departments to visiting, see our Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital guide.
This site is an independent local guide. We are not affiliated with Trinity Health, Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital or Crozer Health, and nothing here is medical advice.
Mercy Fitzgerald emergency room at a glance
| Address | 1500 Lansdowne Avenue, Darby, PA 19023 |
| Hours | Open 24 hours, 7 days a week |
| Emergency department phone | 610-237-4701 (Trinity also lists 215-748-9207) |
| Hospital main number | 610-237-4000 |
| Tell them you’re coming | MyChart “Find Care Now” (I’m On My Way) |
| Certifications | Certified Chest Pain Center and Primary Stroke Center |
| Trauma center? | No. Severe trauma, burns, spinal cord injuries and labor are stabilized and transferred |
| Run by | Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic |
The address, phone numbers, hours and certifications come from Trinity Health’s Mercy Fitzgerald Emergency Department page. Mercy Fitzgerald itself is a 178-bed teaching hospital.
How busy is the ER since Crozer closed?
Busier than it used to be. Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Upland and Taylor Hospital in Ridley Park stopped taking emergency patients in late April 2025 (our Crozer closure timeline has the dates). Crozer-Chester alone handled about 65,000 ER visits in 2023, more than any other hospital in the county. Those patients did not disappear. Many now go to Mercy Fitzgerald in Darby or Riddle Hospital in Media.
Mercy Fitzgerald saw about 39,500 emergency visits in 2023, according to state figures reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer in June 2025. In that same story, the hospital’s chair of emergency medicine said volume was rising quickly after Crozer-Chester shut. Before the closure, hospital leaders told DELCO.Today they expected about 20 percent more patients and planned to draw staff from Trinity’s other hospitals and hire displaced Crozer workers.
The pressure began earlier than 2025. Both Trinity and Main Line Health told the Inquirer they first felt the strain in 2022, when Delaware County Memorial Hospital in Drexel Hill and Springfield Hospital closed.
Mercy Fitzgerald emergency room wait times
Trinity Health does not promise a set wait, and it is upfront that waits can be long. Its emergency department FAQ says the average wait for a more complex patient can be five to six hours, and two to three hours for someone with an urgent-care-level problem. Patients are seen in order of how sick they are, then by arrival time.
The federal numbers back that up. Medicare’s Care Compare reports how long patients typically spend in each ER from arrival to leaving, for visits from October 2024 through September 2025. That window includes the months right after the Crozer closures.
| Emergency room | Median time in the ER |
|---|---|
| Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital, Darby | 223 minutes (about 3 hours 43 minutes) |
| Riddle Hospital, Media | 302 minutes (about 5 hours) |
| Pennsylvania average | 186 minutes |
| National average | 162 minutes |
A median means half of patients spent longer than that. The same data shows about 1 percent of Mercy Fitzgerald ER patients left before being seen in 2024, below the state average of 2 percent. None of this is a live wait time. For that, use the “Find Care Now” feature in MyChart, which Trinity says shows location wait times and lets the emergency department know you are coming. It is not an appointment, and you will still be triaged when you arrive.
What happens when you check in
Trinity describes the same arrival process across its emergency rooms on its Rapid Medical Evaluation page. In order:
- Security screening. Everyone who comes into the department is screened by security.
- Registration. A registrar takes your personal information and the reason for your visit.
- Triage. A nurse asks about your symptoms, takes your vital signs and assigns a priority level.
- Rapid Medical Evaluation. Most patients then see a physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner in a temporary intake room. Blood work and imaging can be ordered here so they start while you wait.
- Waiting for results. Unless you need a bed right away, you may go back to the waiting room or another care area. Results can take several hours.
- A plan. You are either admitted or given a discharge plan and told to follow up with your own doctor.
For less urgent walk-in problems, the hospital runs a FastTrack area staffed by nurse practitioners and physician assistants, backed by the ER physicians. Being seen by a nurse practitioner or physician assistant instead of a doctor is normal and does not mean your problem was brushed aside.
What to bring to the Mercy Fitzgerald ER
The hospital does not publish a checklist, but a few things make the visit easier. Bring a photo ID and your insurance card. Bring a written list of your medicines with doses, plus any allergies, and the name and number of your primary care doctor. A phone charger helps, because the wait can run for hours. Don’t expect to leave with medication samples; Trinity’s FAQ says the ER generally doesn’t keep them.
If you were a Crozer patient, Mercy Fitzgerald does not have your old Crozer chart. Bring any copies you have, and request the rest before the March 2, 2027 deadline using our guide to getting your Crozer medical records.
Expect two bills afterward. Trinity says ER patients usually get a facility fee from the hospital and a separate professional fee from the clinician group, Vituity.
If you leave with a prescription, the hospital’s retail pharmacy is across the street in the Wellness Center and keeps weekday and Saturday hours only. Our Mercy Pharmacy guide has the hours, phone number and how discharge pickups work.
When the ER will transfer you
Mercy Fitzgerald is not a trauma center. Trinity says patients with burns, severe trauma, spinal cord injuries or active labor are stabilized and then moved by ambulance to a hospital equipped for them. If you are pregnant, ask your obstetrician now which hospital you are registered to deliver at, so a transfer is not a surprise.
Mental health care changed too. Mercy Fitzgerald closed its inpatient behavioral health unit on October 26, 2024, WHYY reported, so patients who need a psychiatric bed can’t be admitted there. In a mental health crisis, call or text 988. Delaware County also lists the Delaware County Crisis Connection Team at (855) 889-7827 and a 24/7 behavioral health urgent care center at 2200 Providence Avenue in Chester on its Crozer closure update page. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.
Other emergency rooms near Darby
Mercy Fitzgerald is the closest full-service ER for much of eastern Delaware County, but it is not the only one. Riddle Hospital in Media runs a 24/7 ER; our Riddle Hospital ER guide covers parking and check-in there. ChristianaCare opened a neighborhood hospital with a 24/7 emergency room at 700 Turner Industrial Way in Aston in June 2026. Darby also borders Southwest Philadelphia, so city hospitals are a short drive away. Before you need one, look over every open hospital and ER in Delaware County.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Mercy Fitzgerald emergency room open 24 hours?
Yes. Trinity Health lists the emergency department as open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays.
What is the phone number for the Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital emergency room?
Trinity lists 610-237-4701 for the emergency department. The main hospital number is 610-237-4000. If the situation is an emergency, call 911 instead.
Can I check in online?
Not in the sense of booking a time. MyChart’s “Find Care Now” lets you see wait times and tell the ER you are on your way, but the department does not take appointments and still sees the sickest patients first.
Is Mercy Fitzgerald a trauma center?
No. Severe trauma, burns and spinal cord injuries are stabilized and transferred to a hospital that can treat them.
Does Mercy Fitzgerald have my Crozer records?
No. Crozer records are held by a separate records company, and the request deadline is March 2, 2027. Our Crozer records guide explains the steps.
An independent guide. Crozer Health Center Guide is not affiliated with Crozer Health, Prospect Medical, Main Line Health, Trinity Health or any hospital, and nothing here is medical advice. In an emergency, call 911. For a mental health crisis, call or text 988.
Open ERs in Delaware County · Crozer medical records · All guides