Valley medical centers seek trauma designation

Two medical centers in Maricopa County plan to seek trauma designations from the Arizona Department of Health Services’ emergency medical bureau.

Chandler Regional Medical Center plans to open a Level I trauma center. Its sister hospital, Mercy Gilbert Medical Center, is planning for a Level III facility.

For Chandler Regional, a Level I designation would mean it could treat the most life-threatening injuries. Medical and surgical specialists would be on hand around the clock.

Currently, there are six Level I trauma centers in Phoenix and one in Scottsdale.

Elected leaders and representatives from the medical community have been advocating for a Level I trauma center in the southeast part of the Valley.

Medical center officials cited a 2012 state report that showed only 42 percent of critically injured patients in Maricopa County arrived at a Level I center within an hour of being injured.