In the last 6 years, the number of seriously injured children treated at University Hospital has gone up a whopping 78 percent.
Now comes word that the American College of Surgeons has verified University as a Level One pediatric trauma center, one of only five in Texas.
To earn that designation, the hospital had to demonstrate its expertise in research, education and treatment of the youngest emergency patients.
The criteria for a Level 1 pediatric trauma center include having immediate, around-the-clock access to a larger group of physician specialists, including orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, anesthesiology, emergency medicine, radiology, internal medicine, plastic surgery, oral and maxillofacial, pediatric and critical care. Also, a Level 1 center must:
- Be a referral resource for communities in nearby regions
- Provide leadership in prevention, public education to surrounding communities
- Provide continuing education of the trauma team members
- Incorporate a comprehensive quality assessment program
- Operate an organized teaching and research effort to help direct new innovations in trauma care
- Maintain a program for substance abuse screening and patient intervention
- Meet minimum requirement for annual volume of severely injured patients
Statistics show injuries kill more children than all other diseases combined.
