Good Samaritan Hospital Designated As Level III Trauma Center

New City NY

16 May, 2022

12:48 PM

Description

Press release from WMC Health: May 16, 2022 Residents of Rockland, Orange and Bergen counties now have a new and convenient local option for trauma services, one with direct ties to a regional center that offers the highest level of trauma services available. The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) recently designated Good Samaritan Hospital, a member of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth), as a Level III Adult Trauma Center. In its trauma designation declaration, the NYSDOH commended Good Samaritan Hospital for "meeting nationally recognized standards in providing care to critically injured patients and in having a continuous process in place for monitoring and improving that care." The trauma services team at Good Samaritan Hospital is comprised of board-certified surgeons and emergency medicine physicians that work in tandem with specialists from a range of clinical specialties, such as orthopedics, vascular, thoracic and neurosurgery. "This Level III Adult Trauma designation is the culmination of years of work on the part of our colleagues at Good Samaritan Hospital, with the support of our WMCHealth Network," said Frank Aversano, Jr., MD, Medical Director of Good Samaritan Hospital's Level III Adult Trauma Center. "We anticipate that demand for trauma services in our area will continue to grow and our multidisciplinary team of emergency medicine experts and on-call specialists expect to care for more than 600 trauma patients annually. This is a critical new lifeline in our community." A Much-Needed Service with Ties to Advanced Care Centers Trauma cases in the Hudson Valley region of New York State are on the rise and per the 2020 United States Census Bureau, the population of Rockland County, where Good Samaritan Hospital is located, has increased by eight and a half percent in the last decade. According to Adrienne Wasserman, MD, MPH, Medical Director of Good Samaritan Hospital's Emergency Department, Good Samaritan Hospital is surrounded by outdoor areas popular with sports enthusiasts and high-traffic roadways, Therefore, even more trauma case increases are expected, thus justifying the need for the new service. "Key differentiators for the Good Samaritan Hospital trauma service are our WMCHealth Network links to the Level I adult and pediatric trauma services at Westchester Medical Center and Maria Fareri Children's Hospital," said Michael Schwartz, MD, Chief of Surgery at Good Samaritan Hospital. "As regional Level I trauma centers, Westchester Medical Center and Maria Fareri Children's Hospital can care for the most complex trauma cases. Our intra-network link to these hospitals affords us the opportunity to consult with our Level I trauma service colleagues on care, plus offer seamless patient transfer to either facility, should the need arise." Open and Caring for Patients Good Samaritan Hospital's Level III Adult Trauma Center is currently treating trauma patients as it undergoes a standard service review by the American College of Surgeons. As part of its trauma services, the hospital also offers an Injury Prevention Program co-sponsored by the New York State Chapter of the American Trauma Society. For more information about Good Samaritan Hospital trauma services and upcoming educational programs on injury prevention, visit Emergency Department (goodsamhosp.org) This press release was produced by WMC Health. The views expressed here are the author's own.