St. Luke’s Quakertown Hospital
St. Luke’s Quakertown Campus has earned re-accreditation as a certified Level IV Trauma Center. The hospital became an accredited trauma center in 2016.
The Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation has extended St. Luke’s Quakertown Campus’ accreditation as a Level IV Trauma Center for four years.
“This was truly a team effort, and I am proud of this accomplishment as it exemplifies the superlative care and service St. Luke’s Quakertown Campus provides to the people of Upper Bucks and Montgomery counties,” said Ed Nawrocki, President, St. Luke’s Quakertown Campus.
By having a trauma center in the region, patients are seen by a trauma team more quickly, resulting in improved patient outcomes. The Trauma Center at St. Luke’s Quakertown Campus has seen more than 665 traumatically-injured patients since being designated a Level IV center in 2016.
Nearly 17 percent of those patients were seriously injured. For some serious injuries, the St. Luke’s Quakertown trauma team stabilizes patients to prepare for safe transfer to St. Luke’s University Hospital–Bethlehem, a Level I Trauma Center.
“Re-accreditation is good news for our patients, because it means they’ll have continued access to expert trauma care in a timely fashion, close to home,” said Vicky Lazansky, DO, St. Luke’s Quakertown Trauma Medical Director, who led the re-accreditation effort.
The Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation is a non-profit corporation charged by the Emergency Medical Services Act with accrediting trauma centers in Pennsylvania. Accredited trauma centers must be continuously prepared to treat the most serious life threatening and disabling injuries. In Pennsylvania, there are four levels of trauma centers:
- Level I trauma centers provide the highest degree of resources with a full spectrum of specialists and must have trauma research and surgical residency programs.
- Level II trauma centers require the same high level of clinical care but do not require research and residency programs and the following subspecialists: cardiac surgery, hand surgery, vascular re-implantation, oral/maxillofacial surgery, otorhinolaryngological surgery, neurology, physiatry and psychiatry.
- Level III trauma centers are smaller community hospitals that do not require neurosurgeons and focus on stabilizing severe trauma patients prior to transport to a higher level trauma center. They may admit patients with mild and moderate injuries.
- Level IV trauma centers provide enhanced care to injured patients within the emergency department and focus on stabilization and rapid transfer to a higher-level trauma center. They may admit mildly injured patients.
Each trauma center regardless of its level is an integral component of the emergency medical services system. As of Sept. 1, 2017, there are 40 trauma centers in Pennsylvania.
Note: This story was contributed by St. Luke’s University Health Network. Its publication is part of a news partnership between Saucon Source and SLUHN.