Southshore Named Level II Trauma Center

Victims of car accidents and various other traumatic injuries in Trenton and the surrounding areas now have a nearby medical center that could be the difference between life and death. The (OSMC) was recently designated as a Level II Trauma center.

For residents of the downriver community and Monroe country this means advanced medical care is a lot closer to home than before. The only Level II Trauma centers closest to the downriver area prior to February were St. Joseph Mercy Health System, in Ann Arbor; McLaren Regional Center, in Flint; St. Mary’s Mercy Medical Center, in Grand Rapids; Genesys Regional Medical Center, in Grand Blanc.

The OSMC is now the only state-authorized hospital in the area to provide comprehensive care for seriously injured patients.

According to OSMC officials trauma injuries most often occur as a result of traffic accidents or violent assaults, but they can also be the result of a fall or accident in the home or work place. Many trauma patients are treated and released without surgery, but patients who suffer serious injuries require stabilization within the first hour after the injury occurred to improve chances of survival and recovery.

If a patient arrives at a facility that does not have the necessary equipment and medical personnel for that additional care, they must be transported to the closest facility that can provide it.

“This means that we are able to provide care for advanced emergency cases such as motor vehicle accidents or accidental traumas,” said Katherine Kempf, coordinator of the trauma program at OSMC. “This saves time and lives by limiting the need to have life-flight transportation to other hospitals outside our community.”

The Michigan Department of Community Health states that a Level II Trauma center "provides comprehensive trauma care in two environments: a population-dense area where this facility supplements the clinical activity and expertise of a Level I center and a less population-dense area where the facility serves as the lead trauma facility for a geographic area when a Level I institution is not geographically close."

A Level II center serving a less populated area also must have an outreach program that involves smaller institutions in its service area. Also, the Level II Trauma center must be approved and subjected to verification by the American College of Surgeons (ACS). Oakwood Southshore has earned the ACS verification, according to Edith Hughes, president of Oakwood Southshore Medical Center.

“We’re very pleased,” said Hughes. “We’re very happy to be able to provide this service to the residents of the downriver community. There was a gap in care that we are now able to service.”