Los Robles Hospital and Medical Center in Thousand Oaks has announced the launch of a new emergency room texting service to help residents determine average wait times at the ER so they know what to expect.

Residents can text “ER” to 23000 from a cellphone and reply with a ZIP code to receive the average wait time in the ER, along with a number to call to speak with a nurse.

By texting “healthy” to 23000 residents can also receive occasional health information and updates on upcoming hospital events.

Los Robles is the first hospital in Ventura County to provide this service.

The text message program works using a technology that links the computer system in the emergency room with the texting abilities of cellphones. Using this system, texters can see how long recent patients have waited to be seen by the physician. Standard text messaging rates may apply.

In case of a true medical emergency, patients should call 911 for assistance.