One year ago, my boss, Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer Kathy Richerson, appointed me interim director of Emergency Department Trauma Services, instructing me to build a Level III trauma program. It was a pivot point for NorthBay Healthcare and for Solano County and its residents.
NorthBay would pursue its mission of advanced medicine with the same vision it has possessed for a half century: Foretell the need for a key medical service and get it done. In this case it is a trauma center to serve the residents of Solano County.
So far, the numbers are staggering. We have achieved twice the volume predicted in the initial feasibility study conducted by The Bishop Group.<
The key now is to hone and perfect our Level III trauma services and learn from our experiences so that we are a world-class center, an integral part of a trauma system supported by our world-class partners - UC Davis (Level 1) and John Muir Medical Center (Level 2).
Rushing to bring new specialties, or advanced trauma levels, without the volume of patients, the hospital and the county infrastructure to support them is foolish and reckless. Rushing to the next level - fiscally and morally - will not strengthen, but weaken our established trauma system. This is my passion. This is my profession. You are my customers - no, you are more like my extended family. We must not pursue any plan or timeline not in the collective best interests of the community that we serve.
Work, play, travel, relax and rest safely and responsibly. But put your mind at ease knowing that if you are injured, NorthBay Healthcare and our partners in emergency medical services stand ready to provide cutting-edge trauma resuscitative services - from the ambulance to the rehab centers.
At NorthBay Trauma Services, we never sleep. Be well.
