Editor's note: This article as originally published implied that Southcoast Health hospitals, specifically Charlton Memorial Hospital (CMH) in Fall River, does not have the ability to deliver acute and emergent cardiac care. The hospital pointed out that they provide comprehensive emergency, heart and vascular, as well as maternity care, and was just this year recognized by the American Heart Association for advanced stroke care and by the U.S. News and World Report as a high performing hospital for treating cardiac conditions such as heart attack, heart failure and stroke.

Even if your first thought was that you are one of the fortunate ones whose commute is not impacted by the Washington Bridge closure, the fact that the bridge was the most direct link to the hospital complex was probably your second thought.

Thankfully, it was the first thought for Fire Chief Michael DeMello. “Right away, we looked into what we could do,” he said, when reached for comment on Tuesday.

For a stable, low-acuity injury or health issue, we are fortunate to have many options close at hand: Newport Hospital in Newport, and Charlton and St. Anne’s in Fall River are all very accessible. But if your issue is trauma, pediatric or cardiac emergency, Rhode Island Hospital (with the only Level I trauma facility this side of Boston), Hasbro, and Miriam Hospital in Pawtucket are where you probably want to be. Not to mention that 80% of all babies born in Rhode Island are born at Women & Infants, also part of the main hospital complex.

“For some things, you’ve got to get to Providence,” said DeMello. How that happens will depend on a lot of factors, and in an emergency, it will be determined on a case by case basis.

Governor McKee’s midday press conference Tuesday, announcing that engineers determined that the bridge can support the passage of one emergency vehicle at a time (an ambulance — not a hook and ladder) was a relief, but the big picture is more complicated.

“It’s great that there’s now a lane available over the bridge, but you need to be able to get to that lane,” said DeMello. Traffic was backed up well into Massachusetts for much of the day Tuesday.

“It’s a fluid situation,” said DeMello. “There are many different avenues we can take when it comes to stabilizing a patient for transport. Monitoring traffic will certainly be part of it — 2 a.m. will be different than 2 p.m.”

In serious enough cases, a patient could be transported by air, either from one of the closer hospitals or, in a case of extreme need, from town.

The bottom line is that DeMello is confident that his department has enough options available to facilitate the same level of emergency medical care, regardless of the traffic on 195 West. “We will be able to get you where you need to go,” he said.