Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/862068
Receives Verification for Level I Trauma Center UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS CLEVELAND MEDICAL CENTER THE LE VEL I trauma center at Universit y Hospita ls Clevela nd Medica l Center recently received verif ica- tion from the A merica n College of Surgeons (ACS), the orga nization that establishes criteria ensuring trauma care capability and institutiona l performance. Open since the end of 2015, this Level I trauma center ha s been operating under prov isiona l status, a s is customa r y until the ACS could conduct its ex tensive review of the prog ra m ea rlier this yea r a nd issue its f ina l verif ication (in May). "Obta ining a Level I verif ication status indicates the institution's capabilit y of providing comprehen- sive ca re for ever y aspect of injur y," sa id Natha niel McQuay, MD, Director of Trauma Ser vices and Acute- Ca re Surger y at UH Clevela nd Medica l Center. Elements of a Level I trauma center include: 24-hour in-house coverage by genera l surgeons, a nd prompt availability of care in specia lties such as or thopedics, neurosurger y, a nesthesiolog y, emergency medicine, radiolog y, plastic surger y, ora l a nd ma xillofacia l, a nd critica l ca re. Level I centers a lso provide leadership in prevention a nd public education to surrounding communities, incorporate a comprehensive qua lit y assessment program, and operate an organized teach- ing and research effort to help direct new innovations in trauma ca re. T he L e vel I t r a u m a c ent er at U H C le vel a nd Med ica l Cent er coord i nat es w it h a n ex t ended regiona l trauma system that includes four existing Level III trauma centers at UH Geauga Medica l Center, St . John Medica l Center in West la ke, Southwest Genera l Hea lth Center in Middleburg Heights, a nd U H Por ta ge Medica l Center in Ravenna. Additiona lly, UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospita l, on UH's main campus, is the region's only Level I center for children a nd adolescents. " T r a u m a t i c i n j u r y i s a major public hea lt h issue i n t he US a nd Nor t hea st O h i o . I t i s t h e m a j o r killer of young people, ages 1 through 44, and results in the la rgest a mou nt of ye a r s of productive life lost, more than cancer or heart disease," said Glen Tinkoff, MD, the System Chief of Trauma and Acute Care Surger y at UH who a lso ser ved for 18 years on the ACS' Commit tee on Trauma . " By investing in comprehensive trauma ca re system-w ide, U H is ma king a major commitment to providing a ll trauma v ictims t he appropr iate level of ca re t hey require a nd deser ve a nd doing so eff iciently a nd effectively." F rom Ja n . 1 , 2016, t h rou g h Apr i l 30, 2017, t he Level 1 adult trauma ser vice at UH Cleveland Medica l Center has eva luated 3,300 trauma patients, admitted a lmost 2,500 injured patients to t he hospita l, a nd responded to more than 1,900 activations of the trauma tea m to eva luate patients coming into the Emergency Depa r tment to determine their severit y. " UH Clevela nd Medica l Center a lso is ta king a lead role in community outreach to curb violence and reduce returns to the Emergency Room," sa id Dr. McQuay. " U H st a f f meet w it h patient s a nd fa m i lies i n t he hospita l, a s well a s visit schools a nd church g roups to identif y a nd discuss economic, socia l a nd other issues inf luencing persona l choices a nd behaviors. The goa l is to confront, address, a nd prevent future violence to benef it the communit y." U H is a member of t he Nor t her n Oh io Trau ma System (NOTS), which includes MetroHea lth Medica l Center a nd the Clevela nd Clinic, to ensure patients a re rapidly triaged a nd ta ken to the appropriate level of ca re for trauma a nd other emergencies. UH a lso is working with loca l emergency medica l service teams to help equip community response teams with potentia lly lifesaving equipment to use before a rriv ing at hospita ls. For exa mple, U H ha s helped prov ide equipment a nd tra ining that enables loca l EMS crews to treat hea r t attack a nd stroke patients en route to hospita ls. The system recruited trauma surgeons Drs. McQuay a nd Tinkoff, a long with si x genera l surgeons, three or thopedic surgeons, a ha nd surgeon, a n additiona l neu rosu rgeon, fou r additiona l a nest hesiolog ist s, a nd additiona l nurses in a nesthesia a nd intensive ca re. A lso, operating rooms a nd a dedicated trauma i nt en sive ca re u n it were a dded at U H Clevela nd Medica l Center to of fer the highest qua lit y ca re to trauma patients. ■ 2 8