Lawnwood Regional Medical Center and Heart Institute Becomes Treasure Coast's Only Provisional Level II Trauma Center
Fort Pierce, FL (April 27, 2009) - Lawnwood Regional Medical Center and Heart Institute has successfully completed the provisional review phase of the Level II trauma center approval process. This means that the hospital has met the goal of beginning to operate as a PROVISIONAL Level II Trauma Center beginning May 1st, 2009 – with all identified Trauma Alert patients, by emergency medical providers, in our trauma service area to be routed through our hospitals emergency department. Between May 1st and June 30th 2009, the Department of Health will accomplish an in-depth review of Lawnwood’s application, evaluating the application against the Department’s criteria for trauma center operation. Lawnwood will be one of the very few privately funded trauma centers in the state of Florida. Once open, Lawnwood's trauma center will be the only one between West Palm Beach and Melbourne.
A trauma center differs from a typical emergency room in that it is equipped to provide specialized, comprehensive emergency medical services to patients suffering traumatic injuries. A key requirement for obtaining the Provisional Level II designation is having a trauma surgeon at the patient’s bedside within minutes after notification of the arrival of a patient judged to be in need of rapid assessment of injuries which is a critical factor in successful treatment. The trauma surgeon is the captain of a trauma team that is rapidly assembled when word reaches the hospital that a trauma case is on the way. Another change that comes with this recognition: the Provisional Level II designation permits first responders in the field to sort patients according to the seriousness of their injuries, and transport them to Lawnwood’s Emergency Room.. The specialized training, experience, and skills of the center’s surgeons, physicians, nurses and staff will be responsible for saving lives and hastening patient recoveries at every stage of the process.
“This is very positive news for the residents of the Treasure Coast - especially since it makes it more likely that critically ill patients will now have access to treatment in the "golden hour," the first 60 minutes after a trauma. From resuscitation to rehabilitation, the center will provide a comprehensive continuum of trauma care to the entire community.” Says Rodney Smith, CEO
Adds Michael G. Joseph, President of HCA’s (Hospital Corporation of America) East Florida Division, “Trauma care is needed in the Treasure Coast and Lawnwood will meet that need. HCA stepped up to the plate because this was the right thing to do for the community, our priority is first and foremost patient care and we look forward to the exponential benefits this will have on the community and patients we serve.”
Recently, HCA East Florida implemented live ER wait times on their websites to promote transparency in the market place and for the benefit of their patients. Patients can also now text "ER" to 23000 for live wait times straight to their phone. We have a strong commitment to emergency departments, focusing on providing patients with access to Primary Stroke Centers, Accredited Chest Pain Centers and Cardiac Alert Receiving facilities.
About HCA- East Florida Division
HCA - East Florida Division oversees quality affiliate hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers in the East Florida region from Miami-Dade County to the Treasure Coast. HCA is based in Nashville, Tennessee with a regional South Florida administrative office and an Integrated Regional Laboratory in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, along with a Supply Chain Service Center in Fort Lauderdale and Imaging Centers in Palm Beach County.
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