The Arizona Department of Health Services Bureau of Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Systems Monday granted John C. Lincoln Deer Valley Hospital’s application to be designated as a Level III Trauma Center, hospital CEO John L. Harrington Jr. announced.
The first trauma patient arrived just hours later.
Patient care services in the Deer Valley Emergency Department have been expanded to qualify for the higher Level III Trauma Center designation and to better serve people injured in the North Valley. Emergency care for traumatically injured patients at the Deer Valley Hospital has been upgraded with additional resources and staff education.
“My goals are to enhance the quality of care patients already receive at the Deer Valley Hospital by using my 15 years of trauma experience to develop a core team of specially-trained trauma staff,” said trauma program manager Lori Moxon, RN, BSN.
The Level III designation requires that surgeons on call have Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) accreditation from the American College of Surgeons. ATLS teaches a standard approach for trauma assessment and treatment so the most time-critical interventions are performed first.
“Our program will be even better than that,” said hospital Medical Director Mary Ann Turley, DO. “At Deer Valley, our trauma doctors – available within 30 minutes – will be the same board certified trauma surgeons who care for patients at the Level I Trauma Center at John C. Lincoln North Mountain Hospital.”
John C. Lincoln’s trauma surgeons hold dual board certification in both critical care and trauma surgery. Trauma orthopedic surgeons and anesthesiologists will be on call.
According to Alicia Mangram, MD, care at the Level III Trauma Center at Deer Valley will be coordinated with higher acuity medical services available at North Mountain’s Level I Trauma Center, where she is medical director.
“This is the first time that a Level I Trauma Center has collaborated with a Level III Center to ensure the same quality and best clinical practice for our patients,” Harrington said. “It is a very exciting resource, not only for our patients, but also for the EMS crews who provide emergency response service for our community.”
With its plans to transform itself into a Level III Trauma Center, Deer Valley is launching a G-60 program for trauma patients aged 60 and older. The program, instituted last year at North Mountain, is designed to improve outcomes and reduce mortality and morbidity for older trauma patients by providing more intensive and coordinated inpatient care.
The Level III Trauma Center will also offer injury prevention community outreach programs similar to those presented by North Mountain’s Level 1 Trauma Center, Moxon said. “Since this will be a network endeavor,” she explained, “our plans are to incorporate the many excellent community educational programs developed by injury prevention/outreach coordinator Kim Shatto, RN BSN, that focus on the cause and prevention of our major traumatic injuries.”
The facility will also provide data about patients, their diagnoses, care and outcomes to the state Department of Health Services Bureau of Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Systems.
