For example, patients must be seen by a doctor within 30 minutes of arrival and the hospital must have a surgeon on call. Under Level III status, trauma hospitals have to meet various guidelines. Proximity matters as patients can have up to a 30% better survival rate if taken to a trauma center rather than a regular hospital, and the sooner they are treated the better, statistics show. Aside from Methodist, Franciscan Health Crown Point was certified as an “in the process” Level III trauma center in 2018.
#Indiana trauma center levels full#
It received the full designation as a Level III trauma center by the American College of Surgeons in 2017.Ī spokesman with the American College of Surgeons referred comment to the hospital. The hospital was designated an “in the process” Level III trauma center in August 2014, which allowed it to receive patients beyond its typical reach of Gary and within a 45-mile radius. Historically, Methodist has handled some of the more serious cases - from gunshot and stab wounds to mill accidents - but many patients outside of Gary would be transported to Illinois, South Bend or even Indianapolis because those areas had designated trauma hospitals. “I am concerned this is going to affect the morbidity and mortality for the city of Gary.” We were not consulted,” Gary Health Commissioner Roland Walker said. “That was a decision made within Methodist Hospitals. If a trauma center is too far for a critically injured patient, they go to the nearest hospital, she said. The state’s guidelines tell EMTs to make the judgment call. “Yes, their Level III designation is lapsing,” Indiana State Department of Health spokeswoman Megan Wade-Taxter said. The decision was likely made before the COVID-19 outbreak, sources said. “We will continue to have a medical director for the program, and the program will continue to maintain the best practices, technology and facilities that make for excellence in trauma care,” she said.
“While the decision has been made to let the certification lapse, Methodist will continue to provide the same high level of trauma care that we have always provided. The bureaucratic, process and financial burdens of trauma designation are onerous, compounded by the fact that the State of Indiana does not provide any financial support for trauma designation,” spokeswoman Linda Hadley said. “Methodist Hospitals has been the premier provider of trauma care in the region for decades and we intend to maintain that commitment. Methodist Hospitals Northlake in Gary is opting to let its Level III trauma certification lapse for financial reasons, a hospital spokeswoman said.
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