Girard Medical Center Receives Level IV Trauma Center Designation from KDHE
Launch the media gallery 1 playerThe trauma center at Girard Medical Center has been verified as a Level IV Trauma Center by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
Dr. Adam Paoni, Director of Emergency Services, commented, “We are pleased to be the first Level IV trauma center in our region and to be part of the comprehensive trauma delivery system in the State of Kansas. I am personally proud of Girard Medical Center’s commitment to delivering quality performance-driven care to injured patients.”
This could not have taken place without the hard work of the GMC Trauma Development Committee consisting of Dr. Adam Paoni, Dr. Robert Huebner, Dr. Ron Edwards, Simon Howayek, Kim Page, Tanya Brokob, Mark LaForte, Patty Ridings, Rebecca Conn-Smith, Janis Carter, Joyce Geier, Michele Hart, and Connie Little.
“Trauma center designation is one component of a comprehensive statewide trauma system designed to get patients with life-threatening injuries to a hospital with the necessary resources,” said Robert Moser, M.D., KDHE Secretary and State Health Officer. “We congratulate Girard Medical Center for serving as a vital resource when every second matters.”
Level IV trauma centers are rural hospitals whose primary role is to stabilize seriously injured patients and, if necessary, transfer them to a higher level trauma center. Hospitals that have achieved Level IV trauma center designation have demonstrated a commitment to providing optimal care for those who have been seriously injured.
Designated trauma centers must meet the essential criteria that ensure trauma care capability and institutional performance as outlined by the American College of Surgeons and endorsed by the Kansas Advisory Committee on Trauma.
There are four separate categories of designation by the Kansas Trauma Program. Each category has specific criteria that must be met by a facility seeking that level of designation. A trauma care system includes a network of hospitals providing a spectrum of care for injured patients. Trauma center designations are based on the hospital’s care capability, from the highest, Level I – which would have a neurosurgeon on site around the clock, to hospitals designated Level IV – whose job is primarily to diagnose patients and have them transported to the nearest upper-level center.
Injuries are a leading cause of death and disability in Kansas. KDHE’s Trauma Program works to assure those that are injured in Kansas have access to an organized system of trauma care that offers them the best chance of recovery.