Watertown,
New York -----
On Thursday, May 18th,
North Country emergency medical technicians, nurses, and physicians
will gather
at Samaritan Medical Center. This time, however, these providers are
not
responding to a traumatic accident; they are learning more about how to
handle
one as providers in a rural community.
In recognition of National
EMS Week, Samaritan Medical Center, North Country Emergency Medical
Consultants
and the Trauma Center at University Hospital are co-sponsoring this
half-day
conference, entitled “Central New York Trauma Life Support
Course.” It is
intended to provide refresher information and hands-on management of
the trauma
patient for the improvement of trauma care at all levels.
“We have one of the best
trauma systems in upstate New York,” explains John Fortune, MD,
FACS, Director
of Critical Care, Burns, and Trauma at University Hospital in Syracuse.
“Trauma
care in rural communities, such as Jefferson and Lewis counties,
requires
constant collaboration and cooperation between pre-hospital care
providers, the
community hospitals, and the closest trauma center. The North Country
community
can be assured that all of these partners are working together to
ensure the
best possible outcome for our trauma patients.”
A team of trauma specialists
from University Hospital will be the featured speakers during the
conference.
Presentations and hands-on trauma training to 30+ participants expected
to be
in attendance will be conducted by Dr. Fortune, Dr. William Marx, and
Maryann
Fields, RN, Trauma Nurse Coordinator at University Hospital.
“Samaritan’s
relationship with University Hospital, our community’s closest
trauma center,
is critical to the effectiveness and efficiency of our
community’s trauma
system,” adds Maja Lundborg-Gray, MD, Chair of the Department of
Emergency
Medicine at Samaritan and President of North Country Emergency Medical
Consultants. “Through our participation with the Regional Trauma
Advisory
Council, as well as our collaborative relationship with local EMS
agencies and
our regional trauma center at University Hospital, we are working
diligently to
ensure that the best possible care is delivered in the field, at
Samaritan
Medical Center for stabilization and/or treatment, and when necessary,
at the
trauma center when the patient is transferred from SMC or directly from
the
scene. As a community hospital, this relationship and these efforts
optimize
the outcome for trauma patients in our community.”
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