Emergency
Medical Task
Force
to ensure consistent quality of care.
Shared guidelines and protocols
help to guide system efforts, taking
into account specific community
needs. “Scott & White has made a
commitment to make high quality
trauma care available throughout our
system by ensuring that all of our
hospitals are trauma designated,” says
Dr. Davis. “Memorial Hospital in
Temple is a Level I trauma center,
McLane Children’s and Baylor Scott
& White Hillcrest Medical Center are
0 injuries
4,00
st 4,000
2, almo a-related
In 201
ic traum
pediatr ere brought
w
injuries e Children’s
t,
an
to McL cy Departmen
0
en
Emerg re than 20,00
o
of the m een that
.
ss
patient e department
th
year in
both Level II, and Round Rock, Llano,
Taylor, and Brenham are Level IV.
We are also in the process of getting
a trauma center designation for our
newest hospital in College Station.”
Children:
Our most vulnerable patients
The opening of the McLane Children’s
Hospital in 2011 significantly expanded
pediatric trauma capabilities. As a Level
II pediatric trauma center, McLane
Children’s treats a range of pediatric
trauma cases, most commonly traumatic
brain injuries from falls and car,
all-terrain vehicle, and bike accidents.
Mr. Valentino says, “Accidental injury
is the number one cause of morbidity
in the pediatric population, so there is
an increased focus on injury prevention
activities. Our best medicine is to help
educate and prevent the accident from
ever occurring.”
An integrated team specially trained
to treat children is available at all
times. It includes pediatric surgeons,
A group of statewide emergency
medical task forces (EMTF)
assist hospitals and emergency
medical services to develop
large-scale disaster response
plans. Scott & White Memorial
Hospital is the leading trauma
facility for the Central Texas
Regional Advisory Council
and the trauma service area
serving Bell, Coryell, Hamilton,
Lampasas, Milam, and Mills
counties. Scott & White is also
a leading organization for EMTF
7, with physicians, nurses,
and EMS providers serving on
team 7 spanning from Austin
to Waco. Taylor Ratcliff, MD,
an emergency room physician
at Scott & White, is EMTF 7’s
medical director. Dr. Ratcliff
is also an emergency medical
services physician for Bell County
and is a volunteer firefighter and
paramedic at the Morgan’s Point
Fire Department.
“ he strength of the EMTF
T
organization is nimbleness.
EMTF teams can work
together or separately,
depending on the scope of
the disaster.”
—Taylor Ratcliff, MD
sw.org | August 14 THE CATALYST
13