Sanford Tracy receives level 4 trauma designation
Contact:
Jon Berg
Sanford Health Media Relations
605-366-2432 / Jon.Berg@sanfordhealth.org
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — The Minnesota Department of Health recently designated Sanford Tracy Medical Center as a level 4 trauma hospital. The hospital voluntarily participated in an intense designation process to become part of Minnesota’s statewide trauma system.
“This designation is a true testament to our team of providers, nurses and support staff who take care of patients at a critical time in their life,” said Stacy Barstad, administrator and CEO of Sanford Tracy. “This was a vigorous process for our team and their hard work and dedication demonstrates the passion our employees have to provide our community with exceptional and accessible health care.”
The process included an outside review of the hospital’s resources and capabilities to care for trauma patients. Sanford Tracy Medical Center met standards of commitment, clinical and equipment resources and staff training. The hospital also participates in a continuous performance improvement process.
For a severely injured person, the time between sustaining and injury and receiving definitive care is the most important predictor of survival. The chance of survival diminishes with time; however, a trauma system enhances the chance of survival regardless of proximity to an urban trauma hospital.
“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 resources,” Minnesota Commissioner of Health, Dr. Brooke Cunningham, said. “With the designation of Sanford Tracy Medical Center as a level 4 level trauma hospital, we are getting closer to our goal of ensuring that seriously injured Minnesotans have access to an organized system of trauma care wherever they are in the state.”
On average, trauma claims the lives of 4,300 Minnesotans annually. 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.
For more information about Sanford Health in Tracy, visit SanfordHealth.org keyword: Tracy.
About Sanford Health
Sanford Health, the largest rural health system in the United States, is dedicated to transforming the health care experience and providing access to world-class health care in America’s heartland. Headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the organization has 55,000 employees and serves more than 2 million patients and nearly 415,000 health plan members across the upper Midwest including South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wyoming, Iowa, Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The integrated nonprofit health system includes a network of 58 hospitals, 289 clinic locations, 145 senior care communities, 4,500 physicians and advanced practice providers and 1,100 active clinical trials and studies. The organization’s transformational virtual care initiative brings patients closer to care with access to nearly 80 specialties. More than 400 residents and fellows are trained each year through graduate medical education with Sanford Health fully funding and supporting 29 of the 40 available programs. Sanford Health also includes Lewis Drug, a pharmacy and retail chain with 60 locations in three states and nearly 190 pharmacists. Learn more about Sanford Health’s commitment to shaping the future of rural health care across the lifespan at sanfordhealth.org or Sanford Health News.
