Trauma Center

As the most experienced and advanced trauma center in Idaho, eastern Oregon and northern Nevada, Saint Alphonsus has a long history of caring for the seriously ill and injured. As the only hospital in the region to be designated a Time Sensitive Emergency (TSE) facility for Stroke, STEMI and Trauma our surgical specialty care is unmatched. Although many hospitals and clinics care for anyone who is injured, the Saint Alphonsus Trauma Center has been committed to caring for the critically injured for many decades. This commitment positions Saint Alphonsus to be the regional leader in the recovery of the most crucially ill and injured patients.

Saint Alphonsus' Trauma Center is staffed by surgeons who are board-certified in general surgery and surgical critical care. They have completed surgical critical care fellowships, which focus on specialization in the areas of intensive care, trauma, and surgical rescue. The residency and fellowship training prepares this team to care for the most critically ill patients with complex traumatic injuries.

What is a Trauma Center?

It is a system of care within an acute care hospital (such as Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center), which provides an organized systematic response of healthcare professionals to treat adults or children who are critically injured.

The care of the critically injured is a team approach. It is led by a general surgeon, with special training in trauma, or a "trauma surgeon." The trauma surgeon is in charge of the team—including emergency physicians, orthopedic surgeons, neurosurgeons and other specialists—and organizes the most effective and appropriate response to an individual who has been injured.

The Difference Between a Trauma Center and Other Hospitals

Saint Alphonsus's Trauma Center represents a continuum of care that incorporates the rapid, critical care response of Life Flight, the Emergency Department; comprehensive, multi-specialty surgical expertise including neuroscience, trauma, orthopedics, critical care units, rehabilitation, as well as the state-of-the-art diagnostic and treatment technologies that are integrated throughout each of these centers.

The expertise and resources of all these services working together to advance the healing of patients and help them make a successful recovery, plus strong efforts toward prevention and safety education, are what make a quality trauma center.

Additionally, Saint Alphonsus is the only facility to offer an Orthopedic Trauma Program available 24/7 staffed by fellowship trained orthopedic trauma surgeons.

Having this strong critical care backbone, plus the support of other services, such as cancer, maternal-fetal medicine, neonatal intensive care unit and heart and vascular centers, enables Saint Alphonsus to deliver unparalleled patient care in the region.

The Saint Alphonsus Trauma Center has a Level II Trauma Center designation by the Time Sensitive Emergency System. This validates that a hospital is fully equipped and prepared to provide care for patients with major traumatic injuries. Trauma Centers have dedicated physicians, staff and resources to provide specialist medical and nursing care including emergency medicine, trauma surgery, critical care, neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, vascular surgery, anesthesiology, and radiology.