Nevada Trauma System Plan OK'd

The most severely injured patients in Southern Nevada, including victims of shootings, stabbings and vehicle crashes, would go to trauma centers at University Medical Center or Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center. Less serious cases would be routed to the trauma center at St. Rose Dominican Hospital's Siena Campus.

That's the recommended scenario for transporting and treating critically injured people in Southern Nevada, according to the Clark County Health District's long-awaited trauma system plan approved Thursday by the agency's board.

With the plan in place, paramedics will know where they should take individuals in need of trauma care, said Kim Dokken, trauma coordinator at St. Rose Dominican Hospital's Siena Campus.

"We all offer different levels of trauma care and specialties,'' Dokken said. "If they ... get patients to the right trauma center, that patient can get the care that they need at the first stop as opposed to them going one place, then have to move to another.''

University Medical Center is a level one trauma center, the highest designation. St. Rose Dominican Hospital's Sienna Campus was designated a level three trauma center in 2005, shortly after Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center received a level two designation.

The plan is intended to coordinate and integrate the Las Vegas Valley's trauma centers, emergency medical services and the functions of the health district to ensure patients receive adequate trauma care.

Dokken said that's not to say past trauma care in the valley was poor, it just wasn't as cohesive.

The plan also gives the health district some say in future trauma center designations, said Roy Chetelat, the county's emergency medical services manager.

When Sunrise received its trauma designation, some health officials said the district should have been allowed to participate in the process. The Nevada State Health Division gave the hospital approval to operate as a level two trauma center.

Some local health officials opposed Sunrise's efforts, saying that allowing a trauma center at the hospital would hurt UMC. The trauma center at UMC is subsidized by taxpayer dollars and provides a broad range of trauma services.

The health district spent $150,000 and close to a year studying trauma care in the valley. Consultants were hired to develop recommendations for the plan. Chetelat said representatives from Clark County emergency medical services, each of the trauma centers and other health officials worked on the trauma system plan.

Under the plan, the health district is responsible for planning, implementing and monitoring the trauma care system.

Chetelat said the Regional Trauma Advisory Board, established to help design the trauma system, will meet monthly to discuss issues.

Although the plan has been approved, Dr. Michael Metzler, director of trauma services at Sunrise, said it "will change as the needs of the region change."

Gail Cooper, technical liaison for the American College of Surgeons' trauma system consultation service, said most states are developing, enhancing or improving trauma system plans. The federal government has begun providing states with funds to develop those plans, she said.

Cooper said the plan should make trauma care in the region more cohesive.

"With Clark County being one of the fastest growing areas in the country, having this structure in place tells residents how (the health district) is going to use the resources it has, how it is going to prevent traumas from happening and how it is going to get the right patient to the right place at the right time. That's what the plan tells you,'' Cooper said. "The plan also helps plan for the future and holds everyone involved accountable.''