One year mark for trauma center

Portneuf Medical Center is making one year today as a level two trauma center.

Prior to having the trauma center status, patients who were critically injured would have to travel to Salt Lake City for medical care.

The trauma program manager said they have seen about 500 trauma cases this year.

That is a 12 percent increase from last year.

Time is crucial especially when you have a loved one severely injured.

Fast access to specialized physicians, nurses, resources and equipment can make all the difference.

“Prior to becoming a trauma center, we would take care of trauma patients, but we did not take care of them as well as we do now. In other words, our outcomes were not as good, maybe our stays were longer,” said Drew Mcroberts, the trauma director.

Many of the patients would have to be taken to Salt Lake for care. However, a majority of trauma patients were taken care of at the center before becoming a level two trauma center.

“We had to transfer our critical patients to the University of Utah which is our primary referral center,” said Mcroberts.

A crash on the southbound Interstate 15 that involved an SUV hit a guard rail and roller last week.

Two out of the three people who were involved in the crash were treated by the trauma center.

The Portneuf Medical Center, introduced the first flight program in Idaho in 1983, now the helicopter plays a vital role in the level two trauma center.

“The level two trauma center, they basically care for patients throughout the region not just in Pocatello so in order to do that we have to get critically injured patients to our facility in a timely manner, and the helicopter is a good tool for doing that,” said Greg Vickers, trauma program manager.

The application process takes about a year-and-a half to get approved to become a level two trauma center.

In order for the hospital to become a level-one trauma center, it would have to become a medical university.