WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center is a level three trauma center. Sentara announced the designation Tuesday, saying this places the hospital in the middle of a "trauma desert."
Dr. Taylor Walsh is the trauma medical director at the hospital. For the past two years, he’s been helping the hospital work to get the level three trauma center designation.
“Being a level three trauma center is the idea that we can treat, triage, and transport if needed any patient that comes with anything from a minor to a major traumatic injury," Walsh explained.
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The designation also means the hospital could get busier. Some patients will now be able to go there instead of having to go to hospitals in Newport News or Richmond.
“I think we are going to see, potentially, a little more influx of EMS volume," said Walsh. "Anybody that comes in with a traumatic injury, now you’re put into a database. Our whole team reviews your stay from the moment EMS sees you to the moment you walk in the door to the moment you’re discharged, whether that’s from the hospital or from our emergency department. The idea is, before that none of that was done. By doing it now, we can improve the care for that next patient.”
Loren Smith, the operations VP for the hospital and Sentara Careplex Hospital, said becoming a level three trauma center wasn’t easy.
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“The trauma services program was quite an investment from Sentara Health’s corporate team, looking at the needs of our community and understanding that there certainly was a need for access for trauma care," Smith said.
The new designation is provisional. That means the hospital will serve as a level three trauma center for a year and then be assessed by the state. If the hospital passes, the designation will be official. After that, the hospital will work with the American College of Surgeons to make sure the hospital is able to continue to provide trauma services.
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