HCMC marks 25 years of Level I Trauma care

In 1989, Hennepin County Medical Center HCMC) was the first hospital in Minnesota – and one of the first in the country – to be verified by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) as a Level I Trauma Center.  This year the Level I Adult and Level I Pediatric Trauma Center marks its 25^th year with this distinction.

Trauma surgeon Dr. Arthur Ney was instrumental in helping the medical center achieve Level I Verification 25 years ago.

“At the time, we knew we were making great strides in the advancement of trauma care,” he explains. “HCMC was already offering comprehensive critical care management, and we had specialists in emergency medicine, surgery, medicine and pediatrics who were focused on caring for the critically ill or injured. So when the ACS developed criteria to be a trauma center, we were able to immediately upgrade our available resources to meet the national standards.”

During the past 25 years, thousands of people who have been touched by tragedy have experienced hope and healing because of the teams of first responders, physicians, nurses and other medical professionals who work each and every day to save lives.  You can see some of those remarkable stories in the video “I Survived.”

Many survival stories would not be possible without the outstanding initial care provided by hospitals throughout the state who transfer their critically injured patients to HCMC.

“Because it’s those partners – who want to provide the very best continuum of care for their patients – who ultimately help save and improve the lives of our patients. We just couldn’t do the work we do without them,” insists Dr. Chad Richardson, Director of Trauma Services at HCMC. “Minnesotans are fortunate to have an outstanding network of world-class providers in their communities.”

In addition to caring for critically injured patients at its downtown campus, HCMC’s trauma care goes far beyond its hospital walls. Trauma outreach specialists work with rural and urban health care personnel to promote education in pre-hospital, Emergency Department, in-patient and rehabilitation services so patients throughout Minnesota and neighboring states have access to the most advanced, coordinated trauma care when it’s needed.

“Whether it’s receiving a patient from an outstate hospital or supporting trauma education programs in our communities, we take the responsibility of providing Level I Trauma Care very seriously,” says Dr. Richardson. “Because every patient matters, and every patient deserves the best care available.”

Hennepin County Medical Center, Minnesota’s first Level I Trauma Center, is a comprehensive academic medical center and public teaching hospital with the largest emergency department in the state. In addition to the 462-bed acute care hospital and primary care and specialty clinics located in downtown Minneapolis, Hennepin offers primary care clinics in Minneapolis and suburban Hennepin County.