Public Relations / Marketing Officer

David Bruzzese
Office: 970.764.3910
Cell: 970.749.9517

For Immediate Release
Dec 11th, 2009

Mercy Re-designated as Level III Trauma Center

Mercy Regional Medical Center was recently re-designated as a level III trauma center by the Trauma Program at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE).

As part of the designation process, surveyors performed a thorough inspection of the hospital's quality of care, process improvement systems, and compliance with Colorado state rules and regulations. No deficiencies were identified in Mercy's survey.

"The objective evaluation that resulted in our re-designation validates the superior level of trauma care available at Mercy. The quality of care we provide is directly attributable to the caliber of the staff and physicians who work here," said Nancy Hoyt, Mercy's chief operations officer.

Mercy Regional Medical Center voluntarily reapplies for designation every three years to ensure excellence in the trauma care. Mercy was initially designated as a level III trauma center by the American College of Surgeons after a comprehensive survey in January 1995. Since 1998, Mercy has been designated as a level III trauma center through the Trauma Program at the CDPHE.

The Trauma Program at the CDPHE is charged with improving the state's trauma system to assure that people who are seriously injured in Colorado receive rapid and appropriate care. The program:

• Monitors the current trauma system;
• Establishes system standards;
• Designates hospitals and other healthcare facilities as trauma centers; and
• Uses trauma registry data to suggest improvements in the trauma system.

Hospitals are designated in one of five levels, level I being the highest. Some hospitals are not designated trauma centers. As a level III trauma center, Mercy provides the highest level of trauma care in southwest Colorado and serves nearby communities that are not able to provide this level of trauma care.

Board-certified emergency physicians, trauma-certified nurses, trauma surgeons, and other medical specialists comprise the hospital team that cares for trauma patients at Mercy.

Mercy Regional Medical Center is is a full-service, acute care hospital. As a not-for-profit medical hospital and member of Catholic Health Initiatives, Mercy is committed to improving the health and wellness of the communities it serves. See www.mercydurango.org for more information.

Catholic Health Initiatives is a national nonprofit health organization with headquarters in Denver. The faith-based system includes 77 hospitals; 40 long-term care, assisted- and residential-living facilities; and two community health-services organizations in 20 states. Catholic Health Initiatives ranks as the nation's second-largest Catholic health care system. See www.catholichealthinitiatives.org for more information.

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