Tuba City Regional Medical Center and Canyon Vista Medical Center recently achieved designation as level III trauma centers. From a trauma system perspective, adding these two facilities to the list of level III trauma centers addresses two important realities about trauma. First, the majority of injured patients (88%) don’t require care at the highly specialized level I trauma centers. Their injuries are less severe and can be cared for at a level III center that has the equipment, staff and training necessary for taking care of minor or moderate injuries.
Second, trauma is a time sensitive issue. Individuals injured in rural Arizona are less likely to arrive at a trauma center within an hour of suffering their injury. This may be because it takes longer to discover a car wreck, there are gaps in cellular phone coverage, ambulance services have to drive longer distances to reach patients, or there is no local trauma center, so patients must be transported further for care.
Both Tuba City Regional Medical Center and Canyon Vista Medical Center are positioned to provide these important services to their regions and communities, and we look forward to having them as a part of the system.
