When Marie Meyers started working at Whidbey General in 1980, the hospital had no emergency room doctor. A nurse assessed patients first, and then contacted a doctor assigned to emergency calls.
Today, it’s a different story.
Show up at the ER, and a team of doctors, nurses, surgeons, and other specialists are available 24-7 to help. The state Department of Health recently notified the hospital it is a Level Three Trauma Center. That means Whidbey General has demonstrated the ability to provide prompt assessment, resuscitation, surgery, intensive care and stabilization of injured patients and emergency operations.
“It’s a designation that shows Whidbey General has met the standards to provide the best care possible for the community,” said Meyers, a registered nurse and the hospital’s trauma coordinator and trauma registrar.
The highest level is one and a single hospital in the state has that designation — Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
If a patient needs services not available at Whidbey General, Airlift Northwest provides a ride in the clouds to Harborview or an ambulance can speed patients off island.
Physical trauma kills more people under age 44 than anything else.
In an attempt to save more lives, state lawmakers passed legislation that created a statewide trauma care system in 1990.
The legislation was the culmination of a series of initiatives which began in the late 1960s with the University of Washington, which pioneered the development of paramedic training programs.
Every three years hospitals may apply for designation. The process is time consuming. Meyers prepares extensive documentation.
At Whidbey General, the number one cause of trauma is ground level falls, which mirrors a national trend.
Most of those people are elderly. It’s especially dangerous because many older people are on blood thinners, which increases the risk when they fall.
“It is noteworthy that a critical access hospital such as WGH is a level 3, which is a high designation for a rural hospital,” said hospital spokeswoman Patricia Duff.
