By Katie Curtis
It likely will come and go as an
uneventful day for most southeast
Valley residents. But for some it
could be a day their life or that of a
loved one is saved.
At midnight Monday, March 24, the
Emergency Department at Chandler
Regional Medical Center will officially
be able to receive patients who have
suffered the most serious injuries,
becoming the first Level I trauma
center to serve accident victims in the
east Valley.
Until now, victims of automobile
and bicycle accidents, falls, crush
incidents, ATV collisions, stabbings
and gunshot wounds have been
transported to Level I centers in
Scottsdale or Phoenix. These types of
traumatic injuries are the leading cause
of death for people aged one to 44 in
the United States and Arizona, and
the leadership at Chandler Regional
Medical Center, along with other
healthcare advocates and municipal
leaders, saw the potential to reduce
the number of deaths by positioning a
trauma center where southeast Valley
accident victims could reach it sooner
in situations where time really matters.
“It is no exaggeration to say that
minutes literally can save lives in these
types of situations,” says Dr. Forrest
“Dell” Moore, trauma medical director
for Chandler Regional.
“When a trauma victim can receive
specialized surgical intervention
within an hour of injury, his chances
of survival and meaningful recovery
soar,” said Moore.
“Unfortunately, most patients in
Maricopa County are not reaching
Level I trauma centers within that
‘golden hour.’”
In Maricopa County in 2012, only
42 percent of trauma victims reached a
Level I center during that golden hour
timeframe. And in rural communities—
including many Chandler Regional will
serve in Pinal County—that number
drops to 12 percent.
The Chandler Fire Department
projects that taking patients to
Chandler Regional’s trauma center will
save seven to 18 minutes.
“Chandler Regional’s trauma center
will benefit many, many patients,”
Moore said. “We have prepared a long
time to make this happen, and we look
forward to saving lives here.”
To become a Level I trauma center,
Chandler Regional brought on a team
of critical care surgeons with additional
specialty in orthopedics, neurosurgery,
hand surgery, plastic surgery and many
more.
It has equipped the Emergency
Department with advanced
technologies and dedicated trauma
operating space, and has developed
partnerships with EMS responders to
provide critical care 24 hours a day
to traumatically injured children and
adults.
With the opening of its new tower
later this year, Chandler Regional’s
ER will house two dedicated trauma
operating rooms, and will have
expanded Intensive Care and medical/
surgical capabilities to help victims
of traumatic injuries through their
recoveries.
Chandler Regional’s expansion of
size and services—the new tower will
add 96 beds this fall, and the hospital
has begun to offer a broader spectrum
of neurological services—pairs well
with the addition of the trauma center.
And the efforts have not gone
unnoticed: Chandler Regional was
recently recognized among the top
two percent of hospitals in the nation,
based on a review of patient safety,
clinical quality, patient experience,
readmission rates and timely and
effective care.
Only three Arizona hospitals ranked
in this category.
