R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center Celebrates Maryland's Unique Emergency Medical System Safety Net

"We are proud and honored by the unique role that the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center plays in taking care of critically ill and injured people of Maryland, and our brave men and women in uniform," said Jeffrey A. Rivest, president and chief executive officer of the University of Maryland Medical Center.

Funds raised at the gala support the expansion of the Shock Trauma Center and the growth of its current training and educational programs.  The current trauma center opened in 1989 with a capacity for serving 3,500 people each year. Last year, Shock Trauma treated more than double that number. A capital campaign was started two years ago and tonight it was announced that Maryland native and best-selling author Tom Clancy and his wife Alexandra LlewellynClancy have made a $1 million dollar gift to the Shock Trauma Critical Care Tower Project.

"We are enormously grateful that Tom and Alexandra Clancy have honored the work of Dr. Tom Scalea and his team with their valued partnership. Their gift will expand the safety net that allows thousands of our neighbors a second chance when tragedy strikes," said The Hon. Francis X. Kelly, chairman, Shock Trauma Board of Visitors.

The R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland Medical Center was the first fully integrated trauma center in the world, and remains the epicenter for trauma research, patient care, and teaching, both nationally and internationally today.  Shock Trauma is where the "golden hour" concept of trauma was born and where many of the life-saving practices in modern trauma medicine were pioneered.