In an effort to expand access to life-saving medical care for critically injured patients, Central Florida Regional Hospital and Osceola Regional Medical Center have been designated as Provisional Status Level II Trauma Centers by the Florida Department of Health. The hospitals began accepting Level II trauma patients on May 1.
Both hospitals have successfully completed the state’s provisional review phase and are able to accept Level II trauma patients with critical injuries, such as victims of car accidents, sports injuries, shootings and stabbings.
When emergency medical services personnel respond to patients, they transport them to the nearest trauma center capable of providing appropriate treatment. Previously, many patients in Seminole, West Volusia, South Orange, Osceola and Polk counties were transported more than 20 miles to the nearest trauma center.
The hospitals aim to reduce transport times during the “golden hour” – a 60-minute window for bringing patients to a designated trauma center. Studies show that the sooner care is given within that hour, the better the outcome.
Trauma is the leading cause of death among Floridians under the age of 44, and Florida’s death rate for trauma remains higher than the national average. Prior to Central Florida Regional Hospital and Osceola Regional Medical Center’s designations, there was only one trauma center serving Central Florida’s 2.2 million permanent residents and the 1 million tourists visiting the region annually.
Both hospitals have implemented continuous in-house physician staffing for trauma surgery, emergency medicine and anesthesia, along with increased physician staffing of surgical and non-surgical specialties. Additionally, both have joined Florida’s first and largest statewide network of trauma centers, developed as an affiliation between the University of South Florida (USF) and HCA to improve access and outcomes of injured patients.
