Until you’ve been faced with trauma, you may not realize that currently none of the seven acute-care hospitals in San Joaquin County has been designated a “level III” trauma center. Trauma – defined in medical terms as “serious personal injury caused by accident or violence” – is the leading cause of death for in San Joaquin County for residents younger than 45. In fact, according to a recent Sacramento trauma article, more young people die from trauma than disease, illness and other causes of death.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a serious personal injury accident and experienced trauma, it is important to seek the advice of an experienced Sacramento personal injury lawyer right away.

Trauma may arise due to serious car accidents, construction accidents, or pedestrian emergencies. If an accident leads to serious personal injury, time is of the essence and the time it takes to get necessary medical attention may literally mean the difference between life and death. Despite the great need for a trauma center, none of the Sacramento area hospitals are equipped to handle major accidents, and the county’s injured patients need to be taken miles away to receive the appropriate medical care.

According to county Public Health Services statistics, in 2009 206 people died from trauma. It is likely that some of those deaths could have been prevented had there been a San Joaquin County trauma center along with countywide support. A new trauma center plan is now being by the county to address some of these concerns.

An estimated 622 adults needed trauma services last year.

The article explains that the personal injury victims were transported almost exclusively by ground ambulance to one of seven hospitals – Lodi Memorial, Dameron and St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Sacramento , San Joaquin General in French Camp, Doctors and Kaiser in Manteca and Sutter Tracy Community. Once an injured party arrived at an emergency room “trauma victims were treated by emergency department physicians and surgeons not specialized in trauma care,” according to the plan, and “admitted to intensive-care units that are ill-equipped and unprepared to manage complex trauma cases.”

The plan seeks to address some of these deficiencies.

In fact, the plan proposed notes that the hospitals lacked:

• Comprehensive policies to classify trauma patients and directing trauma patient transport to an appropriate facility.
• A designated trauma center anywhere in San Joaquin County.
• Coordination with neighboring trauma systems.
• A trauma registry, trauma-care review process and formal trauma-system evaluation.
• A coordinated personal injury prevention programs and strategies.