Emergencies in Chicago

Good to Know

• 911 works from any phone in Chicago and the US, including a cell phone with no active service plan, and is free to call.
• For non-urgent issues (noise complaints, minor property crime reports, city service requests), Chicagoans are directed to call 311 instead of tying up the 911 line.
• The Chicago OEMC app's CHI Safe Walk feature is specifically useful for anyone walking alone at night and wanting a trusted contact to monitor their route.
• Signing up for Smart911 in advance means dispatchers can see key details (address, medical conditions, etc.) automatically if you ever call 911, which can speed up response.
• All five Level I trauma centers listed are open 24 hours a day, every day — for a true life-threatening emergency, call 911 rather than trying to drive yourself, since paramedics can route you to the most appropriate trauma center.
• Northwestern Memorial (downtown/Streeterville) and UChicago Medicine (Hyde Park) are the most convenient Level I trauma centers for nomads based near the Loop, River North, or Hyde Park.
• US emergency rooms bill separately and can be very expensive without health insurance — get travel/health insurance with emergency medical coverage before you need it, and ask the hospital's billing office about self-pay or uninsured discount programs if a bill arrives.
• Illinois only has two formal trauma designations (Level I and Level II) rather than the four-tier system used in some other states — a Level I center is the highest level available in the state.