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Not all hospitals are trauma centers, and not every emergency department can handle every emergency. Good Shepherd has proven itself to have the highest level of care possible in the area, and attained a Level II Trauma designation by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) and verified by the American College of Surgeons’ Committee on Trauma (ACSCOT).
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Good Shepherd Medical Center is a not-for-profit community hospital dedicated to creating a healthier future for the residents of Longview and the East Texas area. To ensure the continued well being of our community, the Medical Center strives to provide quality, compassionate and comprehensive health and health-related services to the whole person; body, mind and spirit.
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| What is Trauma? |
Trauma refers to any injury caused by physical force. In most cases, trauma is the result of motor vehicle crashes, falls, gunshots, fires & burns, stabbing or blunt assaults. More than 10,000 people die every day, world-wide, and 300,000 people are severely injured daily – mostly from road traffic crashes and violence. To cope with these staggering needs, ordinary hospitals often send their patients with dire needs to trauma centers for expert care.
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| What is a Level II Trauma Center? |
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A trauma center is not an emergency department, but a state-accredited facility capable of highly-specialized timely treatment for the most critical of injuries. Good Shepherd is one of only ten hospitals in Texas (as of 2006) to have such a high certification. Studies show that care at a trauma center lowers by 25% the risk of death for injured patients compared to treatment received at non-trauma centers.
To qualify for this designation, a hospital must:
- Require a certain number of trauma surgeons, anesthesiologists, emergency physicians, neurosurgeons and orthopedic specialists on staff and on call 24 hours a day.
- Provide hospital staffing dedicated to trauma in the areas of nursing, critical care, rehabilitation, respiratory therapy, emergency, surgery, laboratory, radiology and pastoral care.
- Assure the availability of such clinical resources as internal medicine, cardiothoracic surgery, neurosurgery, ophthalmic surgery, maxillofacial & plastic surgery, pediatrics, radiology specialties and many others.
- Provide rapid air transport via helipad.
- Assure available consultation to rural areas via 24-hour referral phone number.
- Provide trauma education and prevention.
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Plainly put, a Level II Trauma Center provides comprehensive trauma care and serves as a lead trauma facility for a geographical area. A Level II Trauma Center provides educational outreach and prevention programs and assumes responsibility for trauma system leadership. Emergency physicians, specialized surgeons and nurses are in-house for immediate response to traumas, as well as additional team members on call and promptly available. Good Shepherd remains committed to providing quality healthcare, and the recent designation as a Level II Trauma Center only further demonstrates the Health System’s dedication to providing a healthier future for the residents of Longview and the East Texas area.
Listing of Current Trauma Centers Nation-Wide |
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