SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS (April 24, 2014) The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio has been designated as a Level III Trauma Center by the Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS), and is one of two pediatric stand-alone facilities in Texas to receive the Level III designation. Only seven pediatric stand alone facilities in the state have a trauma designation.
“As the only facility of this kind in the region with dedicated pediatric specialists, the Children’s Hospital of San Antonio is honored to receive this recognition,” said Dr. Barry R. Cofer, Surgeon-In-Chief and Trauma Medical Director, Children’s Hospital of San Antonio. “Our emergency and trauma doctors are trained to serve our smallest patients, and with the number of pediatric specialists available within the hospital to serve at the time critical care is needed, it means our kids get better, faster. We only take care of children, and since every one of our medical and surgical providers are specifically trained and dedicated to pediatric care, the Children’s Hospital is able to focus our efforts and tailor our services to the special needs of the younger trauma victim”.
There are 277 designated trauma facilities in Texas, but only seven stand-alone children’s hospitals have trauma designation, with Dell Children’s Hospital in Austin, Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston and Children’s Medical Center in Dallas designated as Level 1 Trauma Centers— where the most critically injured patients receive care.
“In a short period of time—about 16 months--Children’s Hospital of San Antonio was able to receive the Level III designation, which is a testimony to the dedication and commitment of the hospital and its medical and administrative staff”, said Pat Carrier, president and CEO of CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Health System.
“With the new pediatric residency program accreditation, and the on-boarding of research protocols, we should be able to reach a higher level of trauma capabilities within a short period of time,” said Cofer.
With the Level III designation, Children’s Hospital of San Antonio provides resuscitation, stabilization and assessment of injury victims and in the majority of cases provides definitive management and care of the pediatric victim.
According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, the accrediting agency for trauma centers in Texas, trauma can occur anywhere at any time, with critical trauma victims needing definitive care within
a short period of time, often called the "golden hour," to help prevent death or disability. Thirty Texans die every day from injuries, almost 10,000 each year. Trauma is the leading cause of death in persons aged 1 - 44 years.
The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio has an open staff model, welcoming all academic and private physicians. Construction on the 800,000-square-foot downtown campus began in July 2012 and is scheduled for completion in Sept. 2015. The Hospital is open and fully functional during construction.
The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio is the first and only freestanding children’s hospital in San Antonio and is solely dedicated to providing world-class care to the children of South-Central Texas and beyond. Our history and mission began in 1869 when the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word vowed to care for the children of San Antonio by putting their health care needs first. It is our promise to continue the legacy of care initiated by our founding Sisters more than 145 years ago.
At the Children’s Hospital of San Antonio, “our children will always be first.” We provide compassionate, patient-and-family-centered care to every child that comes through our doors. Our physicians, both in our Hospital and throughout the community, are among the top providers in pediatric medicine and they are fully dedicated to providing the highest level of care. Our commitment is evident that with our academic and open staff model, we’re allowing the best and brightest clinicians to drive pediatric excellence in our community.