Dr. Edward L. Alexander lll of Bayhealth Kent General Hospital receives a award from Karyl Rattay, director of Division of Public Health, and Sen. Bruce Ennis during the Celebrating the Delaware Trauma System’s 20th anniversary at Legislative Hall in Dover on Tuesday. (Delaware State News/Marc Clery)
DOVER — Twenty years ago Delaware created an integrated, statewide trauma system 20 years ago that begins with a 9-1-1 call and does not end until after the patient receives high quality hospital care.
Tuesday dozens of medical professionals, first responders and officials filled the House of Representatives chambers at Legislative Hall to mark the anniversary of the Delaware Trauma System.
Linda Laskowski Jones, vice president of Emergency & Trauma Services at Christiana Care Health, speaks during the Celebrating the Delaware Trauma System’s 20th anniversary.
The Delaware Trauma System members include 9-1-1 emergency communications centers, Emergency Medical Service providers of basic and advanced life support, fire and police agencies, air medical transport, hospital emergency trauma teams, operating rooms and intensive care units. The system includes helicopters, ambulances and emergency room medical personnel and surgeons.
Delaware has one of the nation’s few inclusive statewide trauma systems in which every acute care hospital participates, according to Delaware Health and Social Services. The state’s trauma system is credited with saving 1,319 lives and caring for 101,000 seriously injured people since 2000, according to the state. That’s an almost 50 percent decrease in the mortality rate in that time.
The Delaware mortality rate is now consistently lower than the national rate reported by the federal National Trauma Data Bank.
The Division of Public Health Office of Emergency Medical Services oversees the system from the time traumatic incidents occur through care of the patient.
Officials also recognized 14 trauma system leaders for their 20 years of service:
• Dr. Edward L. Alexander III, Bayhealth Kent General Hospital
• Marilynn K. Bartley, Christiana Care Health System
• Steven Blessing, EMS and Preparedness Section, Division of Public Health
• Dr. Steven D. Carey, Nanticoke Memorial Hospital
• Dr. Dean Dobbert, Kent County EMS medical director
• Deborah Eberly, Bayhealth
• Dr. Gerard J. Fulda, Christiana Care Health System
• Linda Laskowski Jones, Christiana Care Health System
• MarySue Jones, State Trauma System Coordinator, Division of Public Health
• Dr. James P. Marvel Jr., Beebe Healthcare
• Ross E. Megargel, state EMS medical director
• Dr. Stephen G. Murphy, Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children
• Lawrence E. Tan, chief of Emergency Medical Services, New Castle County
• Dr. Glen H. Tinkoff, Christiana Care Health System
Additionally, Sen. Bruce C. Ennis, D-Smyrna, read a joint resolution recognizing the trauma system’s anniversary, and trauma survivor Melanie Pertain shared how the trauma system helped her and her family after they were involved in a serious motor vehicle crash.