Grand Strand Regional Medical Center moves to improve trauma center

Grand Strand Regional Medical Center officials announced Monday that the hospital will seek Level II trauma designation from the American College of Surgeons (ACS). The hospital currently has a Level III designation.

The only Level II trauma center in South Carolina is in Anderson. Level I trauma centers are in Charleston, Columbia, Greenville and Spartanburg. There is a Level II trauma center in Wilmington, NC.

A Level II trauma center requires that major surgical specialties be on-call but with the clear commitment to be in the emergency department when the patient arrives. Other requirements include operating room availability 24/7 and operating room staff on-call and available 24/7.

“Grand Strand Regional is well positioned to become a Level II designated trauma center and we are pleased to bring this higher level of care to our region,” said Doug White, FACHE, chief executive officer. “This commitment to a Level II designation is a huge undertaking of financial and human resources and will involve the dedication of hospital staff, physicians and EMS. A major part of the process is the recruitment of trauma surgeons and a trauma orthopedic surgeon.”

“Over the past six months we have been working in consultation with trauma experts within Hospital Corporation of America and from the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma,” explained White. “Grand Strand Medical Center has identified a definite need for a Level II trauma center for this region.”

Grand Strand Regional leaders describe the program as a multi-specialty service with specially trained trauma and general surgeons, orthopedic surgeons and neurosurgeons at the core caring for patients. “This new service will be a tremendous benefit to this region of South Carolina,” said White.

“The initial step in the process of becoming an ACS Level II trauma center will be recruiting qualified and experienced trauma surgeons, an orthopedic trauma surgeon and critical care specialists to direct the trauma program, as well as an experienced nurse director,” said White. “Many of the physicians who have been serving the community for many years will also be instrumental in the development of this new service.”

“A trauma patient is someone who has suffered serious and life-threatening physical injury with the potential for secondary complications such as shock, respiratory failure or even death, something that could happen to any one of us or our loved ones at any time,” explained John Molnar, MD, Emergency Department medical director, “In many cases, the difference between life and death following a trauma is time.”

It is well established that the victim's chances of survival are greatest if care is received within a short period of time after a severe injury. In a life-threatening accident, the chance of survival will increase dramatically if there is a designated trauma program close to victim.

"This is a fantastic opportunity to increase the level of care for the citizens of Horry and Georgetown counties,” added Molnar.

Trauma center designation criteria set strict requirements for staffing, specialist availability, response times, training, quality improvement and community education. A hospital’s designation level allows EMS services to know exactly what the hospital’s capabilities are for caring for their trauma patient.
The designation process includes verification of compliance standards by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), Division of EMS and Trauma.

The reporting period for the ACS verification process commences in July 2010 followed by a survey in 2011. Upon verification by ACS of the designation process, a Level II designation will also be granted automatically by DHEC.

"Grand Strand Regional Medical Center is well positioned to become a Level II designated trauma center,” said White."In 2008, the hospital performed close to 400 heart surgeries, delivered 1000+ babies and treated over 67,000 emergency department patients. The hospital has more than 250 physicians, 1000 staff members and over 200 hospital volunteers. We are pleased to now add trauma services to the superb level of healthcare that we offer regionally."