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Trauma Services
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Since 1986 John Muir Medical Center, Walnut Creek Campus has served as Contra Costa County's only trauma center. It received permanent designation as the county's only trauma center in 1992. To receive this designation, John Muir Medical Center, Walnut Creek Campus must be organized to provide a comprehensive approach to treating critically injured patients by having well-defined trauma policies and procedures, and 24-hour availability of services that include surgery, intensive care units, medical imaging, laboratory and respiratory care.
Saving lives is the major goal of the trauma team at John Muir, but it is only the beginning of a comprehensive cycle of care that extends from initial treatment through rehabilitation. The trauma team is staffed around the clock by extraordinary teams of physicians, nurses, and other health care professionals who have special training in treating critical injuries to the head, spine, and vital organs. A trauma surgeon is always in-house, and neurosurgeons, orthopedic surgeons, plus other medical and surgical specialists, are promptly available 24 hours a day. Members of the Social Services and Pastoral Care departments also serve a vital role for John Muir's trauma patients and their families.
Treating a critically injured or ill patient is literally a race against the clock. Traumatically injured patients have what is known as a "golden hour," the period of time following an injury, when timely diagnosis and treatment gives patients the greatest chances of survival.
The John Muir trauma program reflects the medical center's commitment to critical care medicine -- the medical center has long maintained a strong emphasis on emergency medicine, surgery, orthopedics, neurosciences, and rehabilitation. These are the core components of treatment for traumatic injuries.
Patients treated at the John Muir Trauma Center are brought directly by helicopter or ambulance to the medical center from scenes of accidents, bypassing other hospitals. John Muir Medical Center, Walnut Creek Campus is one of the few Bay Area hospitals to feature a heliport on campus, allowing patients to be transported by helicopter, from anywhere in the Bay Area, in just minutes.
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