ER Wait Times in Cook County Hospitals
Average wait times at hospital in Cook County show the time patients can expect to spend. Actual wait times will depend on many factors, such as severity of the injury, time of day, and staffing. Patients are quickly evaluated as part of a triage process, so the most severe cases can be treated first. Depending on the hospital, this initial wait can run from a few minutes to over an hour. The times below also include wait times for initial treatment, since there can be many delays after the triage process. Choose an ER with a shorter wait time to get seen more quickly.| Hospital - Share Your Experience | City |  Total Wait Times | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago | 2h 27m | ||
| Harvey | 2h 53m | ||
| Chicago | 2h 54m | ||
| Chicago | 2h 54m | ||
| Evanston | 2h 55m | ||
| Chicago | 3h 2m | ||
| Chicago | 3h 2m | ||
| Chicago | 3h 4m | ||
| Arlington Heights | 3h 8m | ||
| Chicago | 3h 8m | ||
| La Grange | 3h 11m | ||
| Chicago | 3h 15m | ||
| Chicago | 3h 18m | ||
| Chicago | 3h 21m | ||
| Chicago | 3h 22m | ||
| Hoffman Estates | 3h 30m | ||
| Chicago | 3h 31m | ||
| Elk Grove Village | 3h 38m | ||
| Oak Park | 3h 44m | ||
| Chicago | 3h 48m | ||
| Berwyn | 3h 48m | ||
| Chicago | 3h 51m | ||
| Chicago | 3h 52m | ||
| Chicago | 3h 55m | ||
| Chicago | 4h 0m | ||
| Park Ridge | 4h 2m | ||
| Evanston | 4h 6m | ||
| Chicago | 4h 18m | ||
| Evergreen Park | 4h 24m | ||
| Chicago | 4h 24m | ||
| Chicago | 4h 32m | ||
| Oak Lawn | 4h 35m | ||
| Melrose Park | 4h 50m | ||
| Chicago | 4h 54m | ||
| Palos Heights | 4h 58m | ||
| Chicago | 4h 58m | ||
| Olympia Fields | 5h 10m | ||
| Chicago | 5h 17m | ||
| Chicago | 5h 24m | ||
| Chicago | 5h 36m | ||
| Chicago | 5h 40m | ||
| Maywood | 5h 47m | ||
| Chicago | N/A | ||
| Hines | N/A | ||
| Chicago | N/A | ||
| Chicago | N/A | ||
| Chicago | N/A |
Add an Urgent Care Center to the list
These are the average time from entering the ER to being admitted to the hospital by a doctor. In a busy ER, patients will be seen by a triage nurse first. Then the wait time will vary by severity, and how busy the ER is at the time of day. Patients with less serious problems could have substantially longer waits.
There is a 200 minute wait difference between the fastest ER in Cook and the slowest.
Stories
Jan 07, 2026, 7:46 PM
Northwestern Medicine Delnor Community Hospital: "I was just at Delnor ER 1-5 to 1-6. Had appendicitis symptoms, right sided abdominal pain, dizzy, dehydrated due to severe GI symptoms. Heart rate at home was 160. Went to Delnor ER at 6:30 PM. Went to triage. They saw how high my heart rate was and did an ekg, which was normal except for the tachycardia. Got an IV, gave me a specimen cup to provide a sample, put me in a wheelchair and wheeled me to the waiting room. They did not give me a basin in case I had to throw up. I sat there for 6 hours. My IV bag was empty after an hour. No clinical staff came out to check it, change it, or check to see if my heart rate to see if was normal. I had to ask someone at checkout desk to have clinical staff member come and check it. Someone came out, removed the bag and said “ you’re good”. I had to void my urine specimen in the ER waiting room public restroom walk with it through a full waiting room of people to the check in area. Also, when they were calling a patient back, they were saying their full name, loudly. I do t believe that is according to HIPAA practices. They are using the waiting area as an ER exam/treatment room. They said they are like this all the time. Something is not right. There were people there who were in a lot of pain that like myself sat out there for 5-7 hours. " - Christine
Oct 28, 2025, 9:54 PM
Roseland Community Hospital: "Roseland Hospital killed my brother . My brother sat in the emergency room waiting for 8hrs for 3 emergent causes that should have been addressed in a timley manner. My brother was making calls, joking, and still texting all while waiting for care. He stated he was starting to spit up mucus and the nurses did not have the common sense to take a sputum text to send to the lab. My brother did not have to die this way. The nurses, physicians, and the supporters staff were negligent in caring for my brother. They took an x- ray of my brother chest and no one even read the results. My family did not get a condolence, or explanation on the measures they took to care for my brother or save his life . We got textbook answers and the physician just walked out the room. My brother was 36 now he’s dead because he went to a hospital that ill equipped to provide basic care." - Yolanda
Jul 11, 2025, 8:42 PM
Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital: "Steven Fullington’s involvement in my husband’s care was one of the most disappointing aspects of our entire hospital stay. We rarely saw him, and when we did, he was dismissive, unhelpful, and frankly rude. His lack of engagement made an already difficult time even harder.
While I typically wouldn’t mention this, his personal hygiene was noticeably poor. After each brief visit, an unpleasant odor lingered in the room. Something that made the environment feel even more uncomfortable and unprofessional.
We expect compassion, respect, and basic standards of cleanliness from healthcare professionals. This experience fell far below that. Northwestern Medicine can and should do better." - Stephen
Jul 11, 2025, 8:41 PM
Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital: "Steven Fullington’s involvement in my husband’s care was one of the most disappointing aspects of our entire hospital stay. We rarely saw him, and when we did, he was dismissive, unhelpful, and frankly rude. His lack of engagement made an already difficult time even harder.
While I typically wouldn’t mention this, his personal hygiene was noticeably poor. After each brief visit, an unpleasant odor lingered in the room. Something that made the environment feel even more uncomfortable and unprofessional.
We expect compassion, respect, and basic standards of cleanliness from healthcare professionals. This experience fell far below that. Northwestern Medicine can and should do better." - Steven
Feb 14, 2025, 8:33 AM
Rush University Medical Center: "waited 12 hrs at Rush the other day, they are short staffed" - RMP
