Accidents and criminal attacks can leave Oklahoma City victims badly injured and in need of immediate care. Their lives may rest on the availability of specialized doctors and the most advanced medical equipment available. Fortunately, local trauma centers are set up to go beyond even the care that an emergency room can provide.
Trauma centers offer the skills of the most highly-trained surgeons and nurses made available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every day of the year. There are many trauma centers across the state, including a Level I facility in Oklahoma City. Knowing where these critical locations are can bring you peace of mind after a terrible accident.
Where Is Oklahoma City’s Level I Trauma Center Located?
OU Medical Center is the only Level I Trauma Center in the state. It’s a critical life-saving option for accident victims in Oklahoma City and for patients who must be flown in from across Oklahoma.
The Oklahoma University trauma department features specially trained trauma surgeons with expertise in orthopedic care, neurosurgery, and hand and facial trauma. Doctors on staff are also trained to assist pregnant women who suffer devastating injuries.
The trauma center also rushes to the aid of injured children with the help of pediatric physicians and specially trained trauma doctors. Care is coordinated through OU’s Oklahoma Children’s Hospital, also located in Oklahoma City.
OU Health University of Oklahoma Medical Center – Level I Trauma Center
700 NE 13th
Oklahoma City, OK 73104
405-271-4700
Website: https://www.ouhealth.com/health-services/trauma-care/
What is a Trauma Center?
Trauma centers treat the most severe injuries imaginable. Patients generally need care urgently to make sure their injuries don’t prove fatal.
Trauma centers are usually associated with a hospital’s emergency department and offer specialized care to car accident victims, gun and knife wound victims, burn victims, victims of a fall from a great height, and victims of other traumatic injuries.
The highest-designated trauma centers also feature the most cutting-edge equipment to aid badly injured patients. They also frequently offer the most advanced rehabilitation therapy available.
In Oklahoma trauma centers are categorized between Level I and Level IV facilities. The Oklahoma Hospital Association breaks down the designations this way:
Level I: These top-level trauma centers feature 24-hour-a-day service. The trauma team’s physicians and surgeons have rigorous response standards. Those services must include neurosurgical (brain surgery) capacity at all times. Extensive specialized emergency care for cardiac, thoracic, and orthopedic patients is also usually offered. Level I facilities are trauma care teaching and research facilities.
Level II: A level II facility generally offers the same services as a Level I trauma center, but won’t have training and research departments.
Level III: These facilities have 24-hour emergency departments with a physician on duty at all times. General surgery services on available from on-call surgeons. Level III departments should offer laboratory services, X-ray services, and access to recovery rooms and intensive care. These locations are usually called upon to treat non-surgical trauma.
Level IV: A 24-hour emergency department that has physicians on call. A trauma-trained physician’s assistant, a nurse practitioner, a registered nurse or a paramedic will be on duty 24/7. These departments are usually used to stabilize patients so they can be transferred to a higher-level trauma center.
Other Trauma Centers in Oklahoma City
The Oklahoma County area is also home to many Level III and Level IV trauma centers. This is a partial list of Level III trauma centers according to the most updated information from the Oklahoma State Department of Health:
INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center- Level III Trauma Center
5501 N Portland Ave
Oklahoma City, OK 73112
405-604-6000
INTEGRIS Health Edmond – Level III Trauma Center
4801 INTEGRIS Parkway
Edmond, OK 73034
405-657-3000
INTEGRIS Southwest Medical Center — Level III Trauma Center
4401 S Western
Oklahoma City, OK 73109
405-636-7000
Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City – Level II Trauma Center
4300 W. Memorial Road
Oklahoma City, OK 73120
405-755-1515
St. Anthony Hospital – Level III Trauma Center
1000 N. Lee Ave.
Oklahoma City, OK 73102
405-272-7000
There are also several Level IV trauma centers in the Oklahoma City area.
Seeking Help After an Oklahoma City Accident
Getting the best medical care available will be the most critical part of any recovery from a traumatic injury. In the aftermath of trauma care, the victims of accidents and their families may wonder who can be held responsible for the cost of this life-saving care.
If an individual’s or a company’s mistake contributed to your harm, you must consider filing an accident claim. It’s your only chance to avoid having to pay for an accident that was caused by someone else’s carelessness. Contact Ylla | Gosney Attorneys At Law in Oklahoma City for a free case consultation to find out what your injury is worth and how to make sure you receive the support you need at such a difficult time.