The State of Colorado certified Estes Park Health as a Level IV Trauma Center last week, marking the 19th year of certification. “We met all their criteria without reservation,” said Scott Chew, MD, Chief of Trauma Services.
“Level IV certification reflects Estes Park Health’s commitment to providing the highest levels of care. “In Colorado, it’s not required to be a trauma center,” said Tim Gray, RN, Trauma Nurse Coordinator. “Being designated a trauma center is a voluntary choice the hospital makes. The decision to seek certification is made by the Administration and the Chief of Trauma Services who commit to all the education, requirements and equipment that we have to maintain.”
Estes Park Health accepts patients during the “golden hour of trauma.” According to Dr. Chew, this is the small window of time after a major traumatic injury when lives are threatened and there’s an opportunity to intervene and save lives.
“Our goal is to provide the initial stabilization and resuscitation, transfuse blood, stop ongoing bleeding, protect airways and get them to the service they need for the final lifesaving measures,” Dr. Chew said.
To maintain readiness, the Estes Park Health Trauma Committee meets regularly. It includes representatives from many Estes Park Health departments. The committee includes Emergency Management Services (EMS), the Emergency Department, surgeons, orthopedic surgeons, anesthetists, pediatricians, in-patient medical and surgical care, diagnostic imaging, laboratory, blood bank services, rehabilitation, physical therapy and respiratory therapy.
The Trauma Team is activated when EMS notifies them that a patient or even multiple patients with serious traumatic injury are on their way. In just five minutes, the Trauma Team is ready to accept the patient(s).
“When a trauma patient arrives here, the Trauma Team is at the ambulance bay doors ready to help the patient,” Dr. Chew said. “We’ll have extra trauma-trained nurses, emergency physicians, laboratory services, blood bank services and diagnostic imaging all to accept that patient as we rush them into the Emergency Department. For life-threatening injuries that we anticipate the need to transfer, we’ll already have a helicopter on route to the hospital to move them to a larger trauma center after we’ve stabilized them.”
There is no typical trauma patient Gray said. “We get the full range of ages, the full range of injuries. There are some unique things in Estes Park such as ski accidents, rock climbing, hiking and even elk-related injuries where people either crash into an elk, or get too close to the elk and actually get stomped on or gored.”
In 2017, visits to the Estes Park Health Emergency Department numbered 6,011. Of those, there were 160 serious trauma cases and 44 were life-threatening traumas that required Trauma Team activations.
Dr. Chew said, “I am very proud of Estes Park Health, all of the members of the Trauma Committee and all of the departments that contributed to our successful completion of a state site survey last week.”
About Estes Park Health (formerly Estes Park Medical Center)
Founded in 1975 by the residents of Estes Park, Estes Park Health is the community’s comprehensive health care resource with a focus on superior, compassionate care that consistently receives high patient-satisfaction scores. The Estes Park Health system serves the entire Estes Valley and Rocky Mountain National Park. It integrates acute and emergency care with community health, includes the full range of diagnostic and therapeutic health care through medical and surgical services; a 25-bed critical access acute care facility, a 24-hour emergency department with ambulance service and air transport; a physician clinic, home health and hospice; and a 60-bed skilled nursing facility.
Zachary Clemens: 970-586-5304, clemensz@eptrail.com
