Trauma Center

The Trauma Center at St. Francis Medical Center provides highly specialized services to treat patients with critical injuries and illnesses. These can include major injuries resulting from falls, car collisions, and home and workplace accidents, as well as illnesses causing serious damage to breathing, brain, or body functions.

 

Our Trauma team includes highly skilled healthcare professionals who work together to ensure patients receive complete care for every type of injury or illness. Our team includes board-certified trauma surgeons, emergency physicians, specialty-trained trauma nurses, radiology technologists, respiratory therapists, chaplains, and social workers, in addition to board-certified neurologists and orthopedic surgeons.

 

St. Francis serves more than a million residents in Southeast Los Angeles. Our Trauma Center is among the busiest in Los Angeles County. Over the last five years, our Trauma Center has treated on average more than 2,300 trauma patients annually.

 

The Trauma Center at St. Francis Medical Center has been successfully verified as a Level II Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons. This means our Trauma Center provides the hospital resources required for trauma care and the full range of care necessary to address the needs of all injured patients. Our care is coordinated before you arrive at the hospital and continues through your treatment and rehabilitation. We passed a survey with very high standards, which shows our dedication to providing the best care for sick and injured patients.

 

The Trauma Center at St. Francis has maintained its verified status since opening in 1996, further validating the commitment of our Trauma team and the life-saving work that is performed here every day.

 

In addition to our high level of skill and excellent care, St. Francis Medical Center’s Trauma Services is a leader in injury prevention. The Trauma team is deeply committed to our community and dedicates time and resources to teaching safety and awareness. Going a step further, they also look for issues that make injury and harm more likely, such as poverty, low self-esteem, unstable home environment, unsafe neighborhoods, mental illness, and limited educational and job opportunities. They are working with elected officials, law enforcement, schools, and local health agencies to address these issues and provide educational programs to help prevent injuries from happening.

 

 

Helmet Safety – This program highlights the importance of wearing a helmet when bike riding, skating, skateboarding, scootering, or engaging in other outdoor activities that carry a risk for serious head trauma. Wearing a helmet reduces the risk of serious brain injury and death. According to the National Institutes of Health, helmets reduce the chances of head injury by 48%, serious head injury by 60%, and traumatic brain injury by 53%. The Helmet Safety class can be designed for children of all age levels and for adults. It covers the California helmet law, correct sizing and fit, how to properly secure your helmet, and when you should replace your helmet. Based on the course and availability, the program may include the distribution of free safety helmets for elementary school-aged children.

Stop the Bleed – A joint effort led by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma, this program educates and trains the public on how to recognize and control serious bleeding with three quick actions. Uncontrolled bleeding is the number one cause of preventable death from trauma. Knowing how to stop bleeding after an injury can save a life. Our Trauma Team provides classes at local schools and community health fairs on the ways to control bleeding using just your hands or a trauma first aid kit.

 

Car Seat Safety – This educational course teaches the importance of using child car seats for newborns and children. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), car seat use reduces the risk for injury in a crash by 71-82% for children, when compared with seat belt use along. The Car Seat Safety Course reviews selecting the appropriate car seat for your child, how to correctly install a car seat (both front-facing and rear-facing), and how to properly buckle your child into the car seat.

Sidewalk CPR – This training session for community members demonstrates how to administer Hands-Only CPR, a proven technique that can save the life of someone experiencing a heart attack. According to the American Heart Association, 70% of heart attacks occur at home. Hands-only CPR can double or triple a victim’s chance of survival, which means your actions could save the life of a loved one. Hands-only CPR can be performed by anyone with simple training. The Sidewalk CPR session will instruct participants on the basics and proper techniques of Hands-Only CPR. Participants will then have the opportunity to practice on mannequins. The training will not result in CPR certification, but information on how you can get certified will be available.

Southern California Crossroads – This is a partner, non-profit organization committed to assisting youth living in neighborhoods with high crime and violence. The program helps children and young adults lead healthy, peaceful, and full lives through prevention, intervention, and being a productive member of the community. Crossroads’ services include help for patients in the hospital, violence prevention services, courses that help youth finish school and start careers, tattoo removal, support for victims of violence or abuse, counseling, job placement, and guidance throughout the program. St. Francis Trauma Services connects patients to the programs and support services available through Crossroads. For more information or to contact Southern California Crossroads directly, please visit https://www.socalcrossroads.org/

If you would like to request a Helmet Safety, Stop the Bleed, Car Seat Safety, or Sidewalk CPR educational session at your organization, contact our Trauma Services office at (310) 900-8675.