The Minnesota Department of Health recently designated Sanford Tracy Medical Center as a level 4 trauma hospital. The hospital voluntarily participated in an intense designation process to become part of Minnesota’s statewide trauma system.
“This designation is a true testament to our team of providers, nurses and support staff who take care of patients at a critical time in their life,” said Stacy Barstad, administrator and CEO of Sanford Tracy. “This was a vigorous process for our team and their hard work and dedication demonstrates the passion our employees have to provide our community with exceptional and accessible health care.”
The process included an outside review of the hospital’s resources and capabilities to care for trauma patients. Sanford Tracy Medical Center met standards of commitment, clinical and equipment resources and staff training. The hospital also participates in a continuous performance improvement process.
For a severely injured person, the time between sustaining and injury and receiving definitive care is the most important predictor of survival. The chance of survival diminishes with time; however, a trauma system enhances the chance of survival regardless of proximity to an urban trauma hospital.
“The goal of the trauma system is to decrease injured patients’ time to care by making sure their medical needs are appropriately matched with hospital resources,” Minnesota Commissioner of Health, Dr. Brooke Cunningham, said. “With the designation of Sanford Tracy Medical Center as a level 4 level trauma hospital, we are getting closer to our goal of ensuring that seriously injured Minnesotans have access to an organized system of trauma care wherever they are in the state.”
On average, trauma claims the lives of 4,300 Minnesotans annually. States with trauma systems have seen survival rates increase by 15-20%. Wide-scale participation in the voluntary trauma system ensures that a statewide, cooperative effort is in place to care for seriously injured patients.
