Natividad Medical Center on track to be designated trauma center
Natividad Medical Center said it’s on track to get the level two trauma center designation. The decision to make Natividad Medical Center a trauma center will be decided by January.
On Friday Natividad was inspected by trauma experts from Los Angeles to see if the hospital is up to trauma standards. According to Natividad, the experts said the trauma team is ready.
Chief medical officer at Natividad Medical Center, Dr. Gary Gray said,
“We’re now able to provide care earlier within that golden hour period, which should improve outcomes.”
For trauma patients, that golden hour is the difference of minutes that can mean life or death, and Dr. Gary Gray said Natividad is ready.
Calstar helicopters will still be used for transportation from trauma scenes, but now they will land on Natividad’s property.-
So far about 160 trauma patients have been brought by ambulance right through the doors of the Natividad trauma center since October of this year.
Monterey County health officials said since October, 65 percent of those trauma patients were involved in car crashes, 9 percent dealt with falls, 7 percent were gunshot wounds and 7 percent were motorcycle crashes. Of those incidents half were considered by the hospital to be immediate life-threatening cases.
Natividad would not tell NewsChannel 5 the percentage of patients who survived, only to say that there were no unexpected deaths.-
Dr. Gray said to keep up with the trauma patients, the hospital had to make some changes. Trauma experts from L.A. reviewed those changes to standards, including the appropriate physicians on-call and having lab X-rays available 24 hours a day.
“We have staffed up and I think that was anticipated, and again going back to the employees and the staff are the key to our success,” said Dr. Gray.
Eighty-Nine percent of the trauma patients in November came to Natividad by ground ambulance, without the need of a helicopter.-
local care that Dr. Gray said increases the precious minutes of that golden hour.
Natividad Hospital hopes to receive its official designation January 5th.
