Minnesota’s first Level I Pediatric Trauma Center reverified
March 15 2012 - 12:47PM
Business Wire
The American College of Surgeons has again verified Regions
Hospital and Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare as a Level I
Pediatric Trauma Center. A collaborative effort between Regions and
Gillette, which share the same campus, the program first received
Level I Pediatric Trauma Center verification in 2009, making it
Minnesota’s first such facility and one of only three in the
state.
At Regions and Gillette’s Level I Trauma Center for Children, a
combined team of pediatric specialists provides immediate
stabilization and coordinated intervention through Regions’
emergency department and Gillette’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
(PICU). Many children later transfer to Gillette’s inpatient
rehabilitation program, which is one of only three pediatric
facilities in the region recognized by the Commission for
Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities.
“When children are critically injured, every minute counts,”
says Dr. Michael McGonigal, HealthPartners physician and medical
director of the trauma program. “Our combined Level I designation
means that patients will benefit from the on-site emergency
services, and specialized pediatric resources necessary to receive
the best care available in the fastest time possible.”
Reverification, required every three years, ensures that Level I
Pediatric Trauma Centers continue to meet specific guidelines,
including the availability of pediatric critical care and
subspecialty physicians. The unique nature of the Regions-Gillette
partnership, including support of the pediatric trauma program by
both organizations, was cited by the American College of Surgeons
verification team as a major strength.
“Our collaborative relationship played a critical role in our
initial verification and now, our reverification, as a Level I
Pediatric Trauma Center,” says Margaret Perryman, president and
chief executive officer, Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare.
“We look forward to continuing to work with Regions to provide
seamless pediatric critical care across our organizations.”
The Level I Trauma Center for Children has seen a 21.5 percent
increase in pediatric patients since it began in 2009 increasing
from 409 inpatients to 521. Overall, more than 6,000 pediatric
patients a year are cared for in the Emergency Center or trauma
program every year. The top five causes of injury in the last three
years are: falls; sports injuries; motor vehicle accidents; motor
vehicle accidents including pedestrians or bicyclists; and
skiing/snowboarding/snow tubing injuries.
Regions received its initial American College of Surgeons
verification as a Level I Trauma Center in 1993. In partnership
with Gillette, it became the first Trauma Center in the upper
Midwest to be verified as a Level I Pediatric Trauma Center in
2009. Regions is also an ACS-verified burn center and a Level I
Adult Trauma Center.
About Regions HospitalRegions Hospital is a Level I
Trauma Center and teaching hospital serving Minnesota and western
Wisconsin for more than 130 years. Regions is a private, non-profit
hospital providing outstanding care in women’s health, heart,
cancer, surgery, orthopaedics, neuroscience, burn, emergency care
and more. Regions is part of the HealthPartners family of care.
Additional information is available at regionshospital.com.
About Gillette Children’s Specialty HealthcareGillette,
an independent, not-for-profit hospital and clinics, is
internationally recognized for its work in the diagnosis and
treatment of children and young adults who have disabilities or
complex medical needs, such as cerebral palsy, orthopedic
conditions, craniofacial anomalies, neurological conditions, brain
and spinal-cord injuries, spina bifida and juvenile arthritis.
Gillette’s mission is to help children, adults and their families
improve their health, achieve greater well-being, and enjoy life.
For more information, visit www.gillettechildrens.org.