Hospital Services
Emergency Room
Madelia Community Hospital designated
Level 4 Trauma Center
The Minnesota Department of Health recently
designated Madelia Community Hospital as a Level 4 Trauma hospital.
Madelia Community Hospital received its certificate along
with a letter from Minnesota Commissioner of Health Dr. Sanne Magnan,
MD, PhD. The staff at
Madelia Community Hospital voluntarily participated in the intense
designation process to become part of Minnesota’s statewide trauma
system. The process
included an outside review of the hospital’s resources and
capabilities to care for trauma patients.
Madelia Community Hospital met standards of commitment,
clinical equipment resources and staff training.
The hospital also participates in a continuous performance
improvement process.
In 2009 there were a total of 1,294 patients seen
in the Emergency Room.
Of these, 20 were trauma patients and the remaining were medical
patients. For a severely
injured person, the time between sustaining an injury and receiving
definitive care in the most important predictor of survival – the
“golden hour.” The
chance of survival diminishes with time; however, a trauma system
enhances the chance of survival regardless of proximity to an urban
trauma hospital.
Trauma is the third leading cause of death in
Minnesota. According to Dr. Magnan, “The goal of the trauma system
is to decrease injured patients’ time to care by making sure their
medical needs are appropriately matched with hospital resources,”
she said. “With the
designation of Madelia Community Hospital as a Level IV trauma
hospital, we’re getting closer to our goal of ensuring that
seriously injured Minnesotans have access to an organized system of
trauma care wherever they are in the state.”
Madelia Community Hospital’s Emergency Department
is trained and equipped to treat many minor to moderate injuries,
and to stabilize and triage severe injuries.
Triage is a method of sorting patients by type and severity
of injury to ensure prompt transfer of critical patients to the
appropriate next level of care.
In many cases, a patient’s condition can be stabilized or
improved by care at a community hospital making transfer to more
distant regional trauma centers, safer with a better chance of a
positive outcome.
Jen McLaughlin, RN, Emergency Department Manager,
has been working for more than a year to achieve this designation
along with a number of other Emergency Department staff members.
“This designation shows Madelia Community Hospital’s
commitment to the community and region to help provide life-saving
emergency measures to a severely injured person,” McLaughlin said,
“Improving our trauma care will affect many lives.”
On average, trauma claims the lives of 2,400
Minnesotans annually.
States with trauma systems have seen survival rates increase by 15
to 20 percent.
Wide-scale participation in the voluntary trauma system ensures that
a statewide, cooperative effort is in place to care for seriously
injured patients.
Minnesota began developing a comprehensive
statewide trauma system in August of 2005. Through its designation
Madelia Community Hospital recognizes the vital role that
communities, ambulance services, hospitals and health care
professionals play in the care and management of trauma patients.