Christina Ghaly of the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services Photo: Facebook video screenshotĬounty DHS director Christina Ghaly said in a statement that current shortages in health care staffing associated with the current COVID surge, combined with a national blood shortage, have begun to significantly impact hospitals across the county.Įarlier this week, the American Red Cross warned of a dangerously low supply of blood both around the country and in the Los Angeles area - and hoped to induce donations by automatically entering donors into a raffle for Super Bowl tickets and other prizes. Trauma Centers play a vital role in providing emergency life-saving medical care to everyone.”ĭr. “I can’t emphasize enough just how urgent and critical this blood shortage is for LA County residents. “Closing down a trauma center to patients due to a blood shortage hasn’t happened in LA County in over 30 years,” said Marianne Gausche-Hill, a medical director for LA County’s Emergency Health Services Agency. LAC + USC Medical Center was one of the hospitals that stepped in to assist Harbor-UCLA. DHS representatives also said that the hospital was only able to reopen after staff “went above and beyond calling every vendor and other local hospitals to request urgent blood supply.” LA County’s Department of Health Services, which oversees the Harbor-UCLA complex near Torrance, confirmed that the trauma center closed for at least two hours Monday night. As such, Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center has been designated a Level II Trauma Center by the Louisiana Department of Health.The trauma center at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in unincorporated West Carson shut down for a time earlier this week because the hospital did not have enough blood supply to meet demand. The actual establishment and the designation of trauma centers is the function of local, regional or state healthcare systems agencies. Rather, the program provides confirmation that a trauma center has demonstrated its commitment to providing the highest quality trauma care for all injured patients.
#TRAUMA CENTER LEVELS IN LA VERIFICATION#
The ACS Committee on Trauma's verification program does not designate trauma centers. Verified trauma centers must meet the essential criteria that ensure trauma care capability and institutional performance, as outlined by the American College of Surgeons’ Committee on Trauma in its current Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient manual. 24/7 on-site anesthesia provider, surgical services team and trauma trained nurses.24/7 on-call neurosurgeons and orthopaedic surgeons.24/7 access to specialty and critical care physicians.To give these patients the best chance for survival Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center is required to have: Injuries can include intra-abdominal organ injuries, traumatic brain injury, multiple bone fractures and gunshot wounds. In addition to care for medical emergencies, such as a stroke or heart attack, Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center's Level II Trauma Center will also provide multidisciplinary, comprehensive services for the critically injured patients, including those from events such as falls, motor vehicle crashes and physical assaults. Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center met requirements for trauma program status with the Louisiana Emergency Response Network (LERN) in September 2015 and worked toward the Level II Trauma Center designation for three years.
This achievement establishes Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center as the region’s most prepared destination for trauma, as it provides the resources and staffing needed to handle major emergencies. The trauma program at Ochsner Lafayette General's flagship hospital, Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center, was verified as a Level II Trauma Center by the Verification Review Committee, an ad hoc committee of the Committee on Trauma of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) in January of 2019.