Natividad Trauma Center celebrates one year

Natividad Medical Center in Salinas is celebrating one year of being the area’s only level-two trauma center. The hospital received the designation last January 5th after a two-and-a-half year effort by Natividad to designate a local hospital as a trauma center.

Having the designation means the emergency room is more prepared to handle traumatic injuries. Before this one was opened, the closest trauma center was in San Jose.

“In trauma, time is life. So getting people here and treated as quickly as possible is so critical to their survivability,” said Jim Hlavacek, Chief of Medical Staff.

“Having a level 2 trauma center or level 1 trauma center in a community cuts the mortality by about 25%,” said Trauma Director, Alex Distante.

Since the official designation, Natividad Trauma Center has handled more than 1,300 trauma patients, all of whom that would have had to travel to San Jose or San Francisco otherwise.