department who maintains the
organization’s readiness for disaster and
mass-casualty incidents. “We improved
regional response and coordination and
developed a much closer relationship
with our counterparts at Darnall
Army Medical Center on the Fort
Hood military base,” says Dr. Davis.
“You never imagine you’ll be faced with
the same type of tragedy twice, but we
were again in 2014, and our experience
was put to good work.”
The gold standard in trauma
and emergency services
Scott & White Memorial Hospital
in Temple is the only Level I trauma
center between Austin and Dallas. A
Level I trauma center designation means
that a hospital has the expertise and
resources to care for the most seriously
injured patients. It’s a designation
Nationwide,
someone is
minutes
traumatically
injured every
d
four seconds, an
every six minutes
someone dies from
.
a traumatic injury
6
awarded by the American College of
Surgeons, and only 16 of the 277
trauma facilities in Texas have earned it.
It requires advanced technologies and
stipulates that specialists be available
24/7, with on-site physicians in
emergency medicine, general surgery,
neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery,
and radiology. Within 15 minutes
of patient arrival, a trauma surgeon
must be at the patient’s bedside once
notified. As a leader in trauma, Scott
& White allocates a significant amount
of resources for this vital service,
ensuring that education and training
is available for future generations of
trauma specialists. And, Scott & White
funds a program of active research in
areas including burns, traumatic
brain injury, and hemorrhagic
shock; leads trauma education and
injury prevention in surrounding
communities; and is a referral resource
for surrounding hospitals.
Scott & White Healthcare is
also a recognized leader in disaster
preparedness and response; its model
of care is one that many others are
emulating. “Scott & White Healthcare
has taken an active role in helping
to lead and educate others at a
LEVELS OF TRAUMA CENTERS
LEVEL I
LEVEL III
Is a comprehensive regional
resource that is a tertiary care
facility central to the trauma system
and is capable of providing total
care for every aspect of injury—from
prevention through rehabilitation
Demonstrates an ability to provide
prompt assessment, resuscitation,
surgery, intensive care, and
stabilization of injured patients
and emergency operations
LEVEL II
LEVEL IV
Initiates definitive care for all
injured patients
Demonstrates an ability to provide
advanced trauma life support
(ATLS) prior to transfer of patients
to a higher level trauma center and
provides evaluation, stabilization,
and diagnostic capabilities for
injured patients
Source: American Trauma Society
sw.org | August 14 THE CATALYST
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