Banner Desert Medical Center has received provisional designation as a State Level I Trauma Center, from the Arizona Department of Health Services Bureau of Emergency Medical Services and Trauma System, enabling the facility to provide the highest level of trauma care for patients ages 15 and older. Banner Desert expects to see more than 2,200 trauma patients annually. The nonprofit facility will begin operating as a Level I Trauma Center on Tuesday, April 25.
Level I status requires the hospital to be prepared at all times with trauma surgeons, surgical specialists, nursing and support services, as well asstate-of-the-art equipment to resuscitate, stabilize and support the most critically injured patient. This distinction recognizes Banner Desert’s investments and its commitment in enhancing advanced emergency services; 24/7 availability of surgical specialists; three more operating rooms; a new trauma and neurosurgical ICU; and additional specialized equipment and process improvements throughout the facility, designed to facilitate faster and better care for injured patients.
The Banner Desert campus, which is also home to Cardon Children’s Medical Center, is expected to add pediatric trauma services later this year, when it will become only the second trauma center in the Valley capable of caring for both injured children and adults.
“As the leading provider of hospital care in the East Valley, Banner Health has recognized the important role we must play in meeting the trauma care needs of the community,” said Laura Robertson, CEO of Banner Desert. “Enhancing our trauma and emergency services enables us to deliver a higher level of care in a more timely manner to the most acutely injured patients, reducing travel time when minutes can mean the difference between life and death.” As a state Level I Trauma Center, Banner Desert will be capable of providing comprehensive trauma care.
This milestone marks another major step in Banner Health’s plans to create an integrated trauma network with centers of varying levels at all of its Valley hospitals. This network will ensure that emergency responders are better able to get trauma patients to the closest hospital that is best equipped and staffed to care for them.
Banner Health now has 12 trauma centers across the Valley and/or state, including two other state-designated Level I centers: Banner University Medical Center – Phoenix and Banner University Medical Center – Tucson.
Banner Desert Medical Center is a nonprofit hospital in Mesa, providing a range of inpatient and outpatient services. The medical center is one of the most comprehensive hospitals in Arizona and serves as a regional referral center in the East Valley of metropolitan Phoenix. Banner Desert is recognized nationally by U.S. News and World Report for high performance in gynecology. The medical campus is also home to Cardon Children’s Medical Center. Both facilities are owned and operated by Banner Health, the largest provider of health care services in Arizona. For more information, visit www.BannerHealth.com/Desert.
