24/7 care for severe trauma patients of all ages
Houston, TX — The Texas Department of State Health Services has designated HCA Houston Healthcare West as a Level IV Trauma Center, with commendation for its ongoing commitment to quality care for trauma patients. With emergency medicine physicians and specially trained nurses on staff 24/7, the trauma center also maintains coverage by general surgeons and anesthesiologists.
“This is very good news for the communities we serve,” said Megan Marietta, CEO of HCA Houston Healthcare West. “Research shows severely injured patients who receive prompt, critical care at a designated trauma center can have a distinct survival and recovery advantage.”
HCA Houston Healthcare West serves the West Houston community, including Westchase, Energy Corridor and Royal Oaks. “In an emergency situation, when every second counts, we are the first HCA hospital inbound from the Rosenberg and Katy areas as well, which allows patients and emergency medical services (EMS) providers prompt access to one of our network’s trauma designated facilities without going to the Texas Medical Center,” Marietta said.
The hospital trauma team maintains close working relationships with EMS providers. This enables them to activate a trauma alert and meet patients upon arrival to the emergency department and perform thorough evaluations to assess each patient to perform critical lifesaving interventions. Once stabilized, patients requiring a higher level of care may be quickly transferred to another hospital in the HCA Houston Healthcare network, which includes Level II trauma facilities.
“With the additional training required for this certification, our team is equipped to rapidly identify and treat trauma for better patient outcomes,” said Jenny Kelly, Emergency Services Director at HCA Houston Healthcare West. “For example, in the case of hip fracture caused by a fall, we know that rapid intervention improves outcomes and now have a process in place to perform surgery within 24 hours.”
“This certification is a testament to the tremendous dedication and skill level of our physicians, nurses and healthcare staff, which is key to the life-saving care we provide,” Marietta added. “These professionals make our hospital a vital community resource where patients can be confident they will receive superior care and exceptional service.”