Not too close. I had an apartment in my 20’s down the street from a hospital ER and the ambulances were so loud.

I have health anxiety (though mine is more avoidant), so I wouldn't think about this but I sympathize.

My parents (not in this area) lived down the street from a fire station so had quick, reliable, and known EMS support when they needed it (which they did with some regularity when my dad was failing). Maybe that is a consideration as you're weighing options?

That said - agree with others that this area is well served and this is probably not worth spending too much mental energy on. Real estate around here is stressful enough without adding more parameters!

Last month, for the first time in my life, I needed to go to the ER. When I called my health insurance to check if the ER closest to me would be covered I found out it wouldn't. So I went to one more than twice as far away. So just because a hospital is near you doesn't mean it's on your health insurance plan (which could change).

All that to say it's not something I've ever thought about.

Anonymous wrote:We are looking to buy a place in NoVa and trying to narrow down to several specific neighborhoods. How important would proximity to a full size hospital ER be to you? What distance is acceptable for, lets say, major emergencies (cardiac, serious trauma, bleeding etc)? I do have a health anxiety, so I might be overthinking it. Also, I don't know much about NoVa hospitals other than US news ranking.

Didn't make our list. What did, in this order, got the entire list:
-Good school cluster (MoCo)
-Not live on a double yellow (not a busy street)
-Wanted a gas stove (this was before cook tops were a thing, and I still swear by my gas stove)
-Didn't need any renovations (and then a few years in we gutted it and added on - oh well, have a few more children and you need more space)

I always think about this so I understand your concern OP. But I think NOVA in general has hospitals close enough to wherever you decide to buy.

In NOVA? I wouldn't even think about this.

I will choose Supermarket.

I say this kindly, you need meds.

We are located in the Tysons area and knew there were several good hospitals nearby when we bought here - Arlington, Fairfax and Reston. So it factored in to the great location.

Most hospitals aren't the best at everything, especially when there are so many hospitals in close proximity. Usually one is better for cardiac while another may be better for trauma. One may have more doctors in house vs on call while another has a better schedule for tests, procedures, and follow ups.

As long as I'm 30 min from a hospital that could manage a stroke or MI, I'm good. I have no desire to live near a community hospital that has to ship me out for treatment and will likely make me lose my window for certain treatments.

1) You are totally overthinking it.

2) This area is well-served by hospitals and emergency rooms and you’ll never be that far away from one.

You are overthinking it due to health anxiety. Pretty much everywhere in NoVA is relatively close to a hospital. Much more so than most places in the US.

This is definitely your health anxiety talking. This is a major area with multiple hospitals. It shouldn't be in your list of criteria for a house. As someone who grew up with a mom with severe health anxiety, please think about seeking help. You don't need to live like this.

Honestly, OP, this would never even occur to me to think about.

You're moving to a major population area, not rural Montana.

We are looking to buy a place in NoVa and trying to narrow down to several specific neighborhoods. How important would proximity to a full size hospital ER be to you? What distance is acceptable for, lets say, major emergencies (cardiac, serious trauma, bleeding etc)? I do have a health anxiety, so I might be overthinking it. Also, I don't know much about NoVa hospitals other than US news ranking.