The Ventura County Star
VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. — There has been a lot written about what level II trauma centers will mean for Ventura County. Trauma programs provide a focused, efficient and evidence-based approach to the treatment of the trauma patient.
Designated trauma centers provide round-the- clock trauma physician staffing, imaging and surgical suite availability with a host of other support services immediately available for the acutely injured patient. Every aspect of the process is focused on the medical services and rapid response required to improve patient survival.
If you or a loved one suffers a traumatic injury, you will be transported to a hospital with the specially trained physician and clinical staff whose focus is to deliver the rapid, comprehensive assessment and treatment required for the trauma patient. Enhanced post-surgical staff and advanced technology will get you on the road to recovery. In trauma care, minutes count, starting with transport time to assessment, treatment and intervention.
Currently, while Ventura County has availability of medical care in general, no one hospital has been designated as the primary facility for treating patients with traumatic injuries.
As a physician who has practiced in several area hospitals, I’m excited about the prospect of a trauma system in Ventura County, and of St. John’s Regional Medical Center’s outstanding capabilities to be a designated trauma center. St. John’s already has extensive experience in handling trauma cases and annually treats almost 50 percent of all trauma cases seen in the entire county.
St. John’s has invested millions of dollars in expanding our trauma capabilities. Seven trauma surgeons along with other highly trained surgical specialties and many trauma-trained nurses complement our stellar medical and clinical resources.
In addition to the most advanced diagnostic technology, which includes the only 128 CT scanner in the county and in-house CT, MRI and interventional radiology, St. John’s has the resources required to provide comprehensive trauma care, including pediatric capabilities, a 20-bed critical care unit, 11 operating rooms, advanced cardiac capabilities and medical surgical bed capacity for growth.
St. John’s is the only hospital in west Ventura County that meets all current seismic safety standards. A natural disaster such as an earthquake is precisely when residents will need a trauma center. And no taxpayer dollars will be required for St. John’s to meet the capacity and facility needs for additional trauma patients.
For these reasons, I am very disappointed in the trauma designation process that has occurred in this county. It is unfortunate that the American College of Surgeons report had many factual inaccuracies concerning St. John’s facilities, call panels and medical resources. What is more unfortunate, however, is the county Emergency Medical Services Agency’s refusal to provide the ACS scoring material so everyone could confirm if the scoring was based on accurate, complete facts.
Not only did EMS refuse to allow review of the scoring sheets, they have narrowed the scope of St. John’s appeal so that flaws in the scoring materials are not to be considered in our appeal. It is this refusal to review the validity of the scoring that has created an impression of bias by the EMS Agency in favor of a fellow county department, the county hospital.
I came to Ventura County five years ago with the dream of developing a trauma system that could rival any county in the state.
I am asking EMS to make the changes necessary to ensure that this is truly a fair process. Bring the scoring to light and let the surveyed hospitals validate the work of the ACS, make corrections where appropriate, and have the ACS rescore.
Only then can county residents be sure they are receiving the very best.
- Brian Kimbrell, M.D., is the trauma/surgical critical care director at St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard.
Copyright 2010 Ventura County Star