Sanford USD Medical Center verified a Level I Trauma Center
Contact:
Jon Berg
Sanford Health Media Relations
605-366-2432 / Jon.Berg@sanfordhealth.org
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. –Sanford USD Medical Center has cleared the final hurdle to be verified a Level I Adult Trauma Center. This verification is awarded by the American College of Surgeons and is the highest level of trauma care.
This achievement makes Sanford Health the only health care system in the state of South Dakota with a Level I Adult Trauma Center. It acknowledges the trauma team and its capability of providing total care for every aspect of injury – from prevention through rehabilitation. A Level I trauma center provides the highest level of surgical care to trauma patients and has a full range of specialists and equipment available 24 hours a day.
“My congratulations extend beyond just a single department,” said Paul Hanson, president and CEO of Sanford Health in Sioux Falls. “I am grateful to every individual who makes a difference in trauma care at Sanford Health. From our clinicians and nurses, to our AirMed team and to those cleaning our patient and operating rooms, each employee has a hand in the care we provide for our trauma patients. This is more than just a verification; this is Sanford setting itself apart by being the premier rural health care system in the country. Our patients can feel safer because they are safer when they come through our doors.”
Sanford USD Medical Center provides Level I trauma care for a broad region of the upper Midwest including South Dakota, northwest Iowa and southwest Minnesota. Sanford Medical Center Fargo is also verified as a Leve I Adult Trauma Center, providing trauma care for North Dakota as well as parts of Minnesota and Montana.
“In addition to those living in and around Sioux Falls, this is also an immense achievement for the rural communities we have the privilege of serving,” said Paul Bjordahl, M.D., Sanford USD Medical Center Trauma Medical Director. “We have shortened the distance and increased accessibility to life-saving care for the people of our footprint.”
Established by the American College of Surgeons in 1987, the Committee on Trauma’s Consultation/Verification Program for Hospitals promotes the development of trauma centers in which participants provide not only the hospital resources necessary for trauma care, but also the entire spectrum of care to address the needs of all injured patients.
A Level I trauma center is required to have a certain number of surgeons and anesthesiologists, specialty services and other services on duty 24/7.
Qualifications met to achieve this verification include:
- Provide 24-hour medical coverage by general surgeons and prompt availability to specialties such as orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, cardiac surgery, thoracic surgery, hand surgery, anesthesiology, emergency medicine, radiology, plastic surgery, oral and maxillofacial, pediatric, interventional radiology, critical care and many other services along a full spectrum of surgical and medical specialists
- Provide orthopedic care overseen by an individual who has completed a fellowship in orthopedic traumatology
- Maintain a surgically directed ICU service
- Train surgical residents
- Serve as a referral source to regional communities
- Provide leadership in prevention through public education
- Provide continuing education for trauma team members
- Incorporate a comprehensive quality improvement program
- Help direct new innovations in trauma care through a successful trauma research program
- Serve specific volumes of severely injured patients
Such centers are also required to have a rigorous performance-improvement program, keep an extensive database and submit data to the National Trauma Data Bank.
For more information about the Sanford USD Medical Center, visit SanfordHealth.org keywords: USD Medical Center.
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 serves more than one million patients and 201,000 health plan members across 250,000 square miles. The integrated health system has 46 medical centers, 2,800 Sanford physicians and advanced practice providers, 170 clinical investigators and research scientists, 186 Good Samaritan Society senior living centers and world clinics in nine countries around the globe. 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.
