Conroe Courier - News
Need for more trauma centers increases in area
By Lucretia Cardenas
The need for more trauma centers is higher than ever as two Houston hospitals cope with an influx of trauma patients since Hurricane Ike caused major damage to the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.
With $710 million in losses, UTMB may not come back as a Level I trauma center. If it does, it won’t be for at least a year or more, said Allen Johnson, chair of the Southeast Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council and chief executive officer of the Montgomery County Hospital District.
“Realistically, our region needed additional resources to begin with and with UTMB out of operation, it just enhances that need,” Johnson said. “Our Level IIIs have to be willing to absorb more people. We need to offload Level I (patients) now more than ever.”
Prior to the hurricane, UTMB would take severely injured trauma patients when Memorial Hermann Hospital or Ben Taub General Hospital, both Level I trauma centers in Houston, were overcrowded. The next closest Level I trauma center is in Temple, 150 miles away.
To assist in the offload, both Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Hospital and Conroe Regional Medical Center are working to become Level III centers.
The nine-county region currently has seven Level III trauma centers, which require a trauma surgeon and an orthopedic surgeon on call at all hours and can provide care to all trauma victims except those who have severe burns or need neurosurgery.
It will cost an estimated $730,000 annually for a Level III trauma center in Montgomery County to maintain on-call specialists, in addition to the thousands of dollars needed to pay trauma nurses and other staff members. The total is estimated at more than $1 million, according to a study conducted by The Abaris Group, of California.
Memorial Hermann The Woodlands is the only Montgomery County trauma center now, but it is a Level IV. It treats patients 24 hours a day, seven days a week and has an on-call surgeon for trauma.
By July, officials hope Memorial Hermann The Woodlands will be designated as a Level III center.
“We’re already working as a Level III and we’re scheduled to be surveyed (reviewed by state officials) in March,” said Cheryl Dykes, director of trauma services for Memorial Hermann The Woodlands.
CRMC officials are recruiting and speaking with physicians about participating in their trauma center, CRMC spokesman Tom Shoffelman said.
“Roughly speaking, we’re about a year out from reaching designation,” Shoffelman said. “We’ve been working closely with the hospital district board to make sure the community’s needs are met.”
Having more Level III centers in the region will help greatly, but a Level II center is desperately needed as well, Johnson said.
On Monday, SETTRAC will meet to craft a recommendation to the state and federal governments for the trauma needs in the Greater Houston area.
“We will be recommending funding for Memorial Hermann and Ben Taub to assist them with the higher volume of trauma patients,” Johnson said, “and we will seek funding for infrastructure for facilities that are Level III to move to become Level IIs.”
With $710 million in losses, UTMB may not come back as a Level I trauma center. If it does, it won’t be for at least a year or more, said Allen Johnson, chair of the Southeast Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council and chief executive officer of the Montgomery County Hospital District.
“Realistically, our region needed additional resources to begin with and with UTMB out of operation, it just enhances that need,” Johnson said. “Our Level IIIs have to be willing to absorb more people. We need to offload Level I (patients) now more than ever.”
Prior to the hurricane, UTMB would take severely injured trauma patients when Memorial Hermann Hospital or Ben Taub General Hospital, both Level I trauma centers in Houston, were overcrowded. The next closest Level I trauma center is in Temple, 150 miles away.
To assist in the offload, both Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Hospital and Conroe Regional Medical Center are working to become Level III centers.
The nine-county region currently has seven Level III trauma centers, which require a trauma surgeon and an orthopedic surgeon on call at all hours and can provide care to all trauma victims except those who have severe burns or need neurosurgery.
It will cost an estimated $730,000 annually for a Level III trauma center in Montgomery County to maintain on-call specialists, in addition to the thousands of dollars needed to pay trauma nurses and other staff members. The total is estimated at more than $1 million, according to a study conducted by The Abaris Group, of California.
Memorial Hermann The Woodlands is the only Montgomery County trauma center now, but it is a Level IV. It treats patients 24 hours a day, seven days a week and has an on-call surgeon for trauma.
By July, officials hope Memorial Hermann The Woodlands will be designated as a Level III center.
“We’re already working as a Level III and we’re scheduled to be surveyed (reviewed by state officials) in March,” said Cheryl Dykes, director of trauma services for Memorial Hermann The Woodlands.
CRMC officials are recruiting and speaking with physicians about participating in their trauma center, CRMC spokesman Tom Shoffelman said.
“Roughly speaking, we’re about a year out from reaching designation,” Shoffelman said. “We’ve been working closely with the hospital district board to make sure the community’s needs are met.”
Having more Level III centers in the region will help greatly, but a Level II center is desperately needed as well, Johnson said.
On Monday, SETTRAC will meet to craft a recommendation to the state and federal governments for the trauma needs in the Greater Houston area.
“We will be recommending funding for Memorial Hermann and Ben Taub to assist them with the higher volume of trauma patients,” Johnson said, “and we will seek funding for infrastructure for facilities that are Level III to move to become Level IIs.”
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