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HUDSON — The Florida Department of Health has designated the Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point a Level II trauma center, marking the end of a year-long provisional period, according to a statement from the hospital.
The 290-bed Bayonet Point facility is the only trauma center in Pasco County, and also provides health services for Hernando and Citrus counties. The acute care hospital has 350 physicians and 900 employees.
The new designation is part of the medical center's growth strategy, and its effort to provide the highest levels of critical medical care, according to Shayne George, CEO.
“This full designation allows critically injured patients to have access to treatment in the 'golden hour,' which is the first hour after serious injury in which there is the highest likelihood that prompt medical attention will prevent death,” says Scott Norwood, medical director of the hospital's trauma program.
In addition to the Pasco hospital, Blake Medical Center in Bradenton also received a Level II trauma center designation.
Trauma is the leading cause of death not only for children but among all Floridians up through age 44. The state's death rate from accidental drowning among children ages 1 through 4 is the highest in the nation. Meanwhile, for Floridians age 65 and older, falls are the leading cause of death. Prompt treatment and early rehabilitation reduce mortality and financial costs, according to the hospital.
Florida's trauma centers reduced the statewide trauma mortality rate from 6.8% in 2004 to 4.9% in 2010, the statement notes.
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