Tallahassee, FL- Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare received notice today from the Florida Department of Health that it will become a designated Level II Trauma Center on July 1, 2009.
Colleagues at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare began pursuing trauma center status more than two years ago, and TMH has been operating as a Provisional Level II Trauma Center since May 2008.
In April 2009, the Florida Department of Health completed the final review phase of the Level II Trauma Center approval process with a site visit. All trauma alert patients in the Big Bend Area identified by emergency medical providers will continue to be routed to Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare’s Emergency Center.
“The establishment of a trauma center was a dedicated team effort that required tremendous energy and time to make this final designation possible. We responded to the expressed needs of the community to bring a Level II Trauma Center of the Big Bend area. As a result, our area will benefit from highly specialized medical skills sets and the right coordination of care, which will certainly impact the lives of those touched by this program. We will continue to our hard work to strengthen this life-saving service,” said Mark O’Bryant, President & Chief Executive Officer of TMH.
David Saint, MD, Chairman of the TMH Board of Directors states, “At a time when resources are scarce, Leon County and the city of Tallahassee have continued to partner with TMH to provide this vital service. We look forward to working with other counties as well. It is our goal to work with them to find creative funding sources that will help us bring advanced trauma care to our surrounding communities.”
“This endeavor has been a labor of love for TMH,” said Freda Lyon, RN, Administrator of the Bixler Emergency Center. “We will continue to dedicate our resources to providing the best possible care to our trauma patients.”
The need for a trauma center in this area became apparent nearly four years ago when the University of South Florida conducted an assessment of the State’s trauma system for the Florida Legislature. The 2005 report came to several conclusions that prompted TMH’s entry into the trauma service.
First, the study found that counties without a trauma center reported higher mortality rates for trauma patients. Second, the study found that five of the top six counties with the highest mortality rates are in the trauma service area served by TMH. Third, the authors of the study recommended that, “Trauma centers should be placed in Tallahassee and in Bay County, which do not currently have a trauma center.”
TMH’s Trauma service area includes the following counties: Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Taylor, and Wakulla. Of the 19 trauma service areas in the state six do not have trauma centers.
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