Generally speaking, you don't come to an emergency medical center under great circumstances. A…read moregood ER can make a miserable situation way less awful. Northwestern Medicine Grayslake's ER is one of the better ERs in the surrounding counties, in my experiences. The times I've taken people here, they were well staffed at all hours. The staff were all very competent at their respective jobs, with a fairly good approach and attitude given the circumstances. The facility was generally pretty good, and it's in an easily-accessible location.
Since I've been to a lot of ERs in the area, I can make a few comparisons... As far as staff on hand, when I visited, Northwestern Grayslake's ER had more staff - check in, aides, nurses, and doctors - than Advocate Condell, Skokie, Advocate Lutheran or Chicago Methodist. They seemed on par with Highland Park and Lake Forest, with how well the attended to a patient.
When it comes to bedside manner, Northwestern Grayslake's ER staff all were cordial at the very least, and actually pretty warm in many instances. Really, I think they were some of the nicest and most understanding ER staff in the area, similar with Lake Forest, Glenview and Vista Medical. As a former medivac EMT-B; I've seen many times how cordial disposition of first responders and care providers can stave off the onset of shock, make it easier to stabilize a patient, extract useful information, and just makes for a better all-around experience for everyone involved.
As far as competency, from what I've gathered, Northwestern Grayslake's ER is pretty good. They seem to be just behind the ERs at Lake Forest, Highland Park, and about as good as Glenbrook. They definitely seemed better than Advocate Condell, Advocate Lutheran, Sweetish, and Skokie hospitals' ERs. That said, even the worst ER I've been to in northeast Illinois was still better than ERs I've been to in other states, so I think folks in the region are in reasonably good hands.
The Northwestern Medical Center Grayslake's ER is fairly conveniently located just west of a good intersection, easy enough to enter right off of Belvedere Rd. in either direction. There's an entrance that's easy to turn into from southbound 45, though sometimes be a little annoying from northbound 45 during rush hours. The main entrance has a covered and well-lit half circle to drop patients off. Immediately to the southwest of the entrance is handicap parking and emergency parking. The main parking lot is to the northeast, and there's plenty of spots. It's fairly well lit, security drives through every 20 ~ 30 minutes, and they do have emergency intercom beacons. The waiting area is spacious, with a handful of chairs spaced around. The vending area is bare bones, but functional. The gender-neutral restroom and family restroom are well maintained, but there can be a wait during peak hours. There are plenty of hand sanitizing stations, and free face mask are available. They have a TV, but it's otherwise pretty spartan. Fortunately, there are several restaurants and stores in the immediate area - confer with Yelp if you need something to eat, or to pick up sundries.