Suburban Philly hospital submits plans for Level II trauma center

Lankenau Medical Center said Tuesday it has submitted a letter of intent to pursue Level II trauma center accreditation with the Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation.

Officials at the Wynnewood, Pa., hospital said the decision came after it conducted an assessment of community needs and held discussions with key stakeholders and community leaders — all of which identified a “critical need” to bring the specialized services associated with a Level II trauma into the community.

“Establishing a Level II trauma center on the Lankenau Medical Center campus will enhance EMS responders’ ability to rapidly transport trauma victims to a nearby hospital for lifesaving treatment, allowing these patients to stay closer to family, friends and other sources of support,” said Phil Robinson, the hospital’s president. “Additionally, having a Trauma Center nearby will greatly reduce the time Lankenau’s EMS partners are required to spend outside of their coverage area when transporting trauma patients.”

The Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation requires Level II trauma centers to provide multidisciplinary treatment and specialized resources for trauma patients, and maintain a volume of at least 350 major trauma patients per year.

Lankenau is part of the Bryn Mawr-based Main Line Health System.

Main Line Health opened a Level II Trauma Center at its Paoli Hospital in Chester County in 2010. Health System officials said that center cut the amount of time that elapsed before hospital patients arrived at a trauma center nearly in half from 75 minutes to 35 minutes.

Source: Philadelphia Business Journal