Wolfson Childrens Hospital becomes areas only state-designated Pediatric Trauma Referral Center
Jacksonville, FL
Every caregiver at Wolfson Children's Hospital knows the preparation, dedication and care that goes into treating the youngest and tiniest patients here in Northeast Florida, especially those deemed critically injured.
But, this week the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) recognized it, too.
The FDOH named Wolfson Children's Hospital a provisional Pediatric Trauma Referral Center on Dec. 5, 2017 — a designation held by no other hospital in Duval, Baker, Clay, Nassau or St. Johns Counties.
What does this mean exactly?
More than 80,000 patients are seen in our Wolfson Children's Emergency Centers, with approximately 15 percent of whom are trauma-related. When caring for those patients, the region's only children's hospital meets stringent criteria required by the state.
Pediatric Trauma Referral Centers like the one at Wolfson Children's Hospital must have these major components in place:
- A board-certified pediatric general surgeon or general surgeon who is on call and promptly available 24/7
- An anesthesiologist who is in-hospital and promptly available for trauma patient care 24 hours a day
- A physician credentialed by the hospital to provide care in the intensive care unit or emergency department who is in-hospital and available to respond immediately to the Post-Anesthesia Recovery area for care of pediatric trauma patients 24 hours a day
- A board-certified pediatric neurosurgeon to be on-call and arrive promptly to provide trauma coverage 24/7 at the pediatric trauma center
- The following specialists to be on-call and arrive promptly when summoned:
<ul> <li>Cardiac surgery</li> <li>Hand surgery</li> <li>Ophthalmic surgery</li> <li>Oral/maxillofacial surgery</li> <li>Orthopedic surgery</li> <li>Otorhinolaryngologic surgery</li> <li>Plastic surgery</li> <li>Thoracic surgery</li> <li>Urologic surgery</li> </ul> </li> <li>Trauma Resuscitation Area registered nurses in the hospital's Emergency Department 24/7</li> <li>An adequately staffed and equipped emergency department, trauma resuscitation area and intensive care unit, and operating room, post-anesthesia recovery area and medical/surgical unit immediately available for pediatric trauma patients 24/7</li>
The next steps to becoming a Pediatric Trauma Referral Center that isn't provisional will require the FDOH complete an in-depth review of current documentation. Following that, the agency will do an on-site survey and make its final decision about the designation by July 1, 2018.