When every second counts, they want to provide the care that’s needed.
The Florida Department of Health has granted Wolfson Children’s Hospital provisional status as a pediatric trauma referral center, meaning they can take in trauma alert patients directly from Jacksonville Fire and Rescue.
“These are the sickest of the sick children, in our case, and they need immediate treatment,” says Wolfson Children’s Hospital President Dr. Michael Aubin.
Until now, pediatric trauma alert patients would have to go first to UF Health Jacksonville, which is a Level 1 Trauma Center. Aubin says many patients are eventually transferred to Wolfson, where they have 240 pediatric specialists on staff, but they had to go through a recognized trauma center first.
Over the last several years, Wolfson Children’s has been working on enhancements to earn this designation. Aubin says they’ve made their trauma bays larger and added technology, they’ve built another operating room designated specifically for urgent care, and they’ve increased physician, anesthesiologist, and nursing staff coverage for traumas to 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
“We want to be able to provide the absolute best possible care to the children of North Florida and South Georgia,” he says.
Aubin says the state is notifying JFRD and ambulance companies, and they expect to start directly taking in trauma patients Thursday.
The designation is provisional right now, but Aubin says they’re working to get permanent recognition. He says the state is reviewing their processes and policies on paper for the next few months, and will then do an on-site survey of their compliance with and operation of the program. He says the final decision will come by July 1, 2018.
Wolfson Children’s Hospital says the pediatric trauma referral center designation also means that they provide injury prevention efforts, rehabilitation services, and field triage, among other things. They now have a surgeon, pediatric neurosurgeon, anesthesiologist, and credentialed ICU or ER physician on call or promptly available at all hours. A range of specialists will also be promptly available, and they’ll have staffing in key departments, no matter the time or day.
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