DiagnosticsChildren's Hospitals And Clinics Of Minnesota Receive Level III Trauma Designation
The Minnesota Department of Health recently designated Children"s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota"s two hospital locations as Level III Trauma Hospitals. Children"s of Minnesota has the sixth busiest pediatric emergency department in the nation with over 84,000 visits per year, and already treats around 450 trauma cases each year. Children"s voluntarily participated in the intense designation process, which included an external review of the hospitals" res and capabilities to care for young trauma patients. Children"s met the required standards of commitment, clinical and equipment res, and staff training.
Children"s President and CEO Alan L. Goldbloom, MD, said Children"s of Minnesota is proud to achieve this designation, and is working toward higher trauma level designation down the road.
"Trauma care is one of the most important services we provide," said Goldbloom. "Studies show that children who suffer trauma do best when treated at children"s hospitals. This designation will help us deliver that care even more effectively to more families. We have also begun the process of developing the capabilities to be certified as a Level I pediatric trauma center at Children"s, as part of our continuing effort to bring the best quality of care to all children and families in Minnesota."
For a severely injured person, the time between sustaining an injury and receiving definitive care is the most important predictor of survival. The Level III Trauma designation for Children"s means children who are severely injured will have a better chance of being able to get the critical care they need in a timely manner.
"Trauma is the third leading cause of death in Minnesota," said Minnesota Commissioner of Health, Dr. Sanne Magnan. "The goal of the trauma system is to decrease injured patients" time to care by making sure their medical needs are appropriately matched with hospital res. With the designation of Children"s of Minnesota as a Level III Trauma Hospital, we are getting closer to our goal of ensuring that seriously injured Minnesotans have access to an organized system of trauma care where they are in the state."
States with trauma systems have seen survival rates increase by 15 to 20 percent. Wide-scale participation in the voluntary trauma system ensures that a statewide cooperative effort is in place to care for seriously injured patients.
Minnesota began developing a comprehensive statewide trauma system in August of 2005. Through its designation, Children"s of Minnesota recognizes the vital role that communities, ambulance services, hospitals and health care professionals play in the care and management of trauma patients.
About Children"s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota
Children"s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota is the seventh -largest pediatric health care organization in the United States, with 332 staffed beds at its two hospitals in St. Paul and Minneapolis. An independent, not-for-profit health care system, Children"s of Minnesota provides care through more than 14,000 inpatient visits and more than 200,000 emergency room and other outpatient visits every year. In 2009, Children"s neonatal program was ranked among the top pediatric hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World Report and was the only neonatal program in Minnesota to receive that recognition.
Children"s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota