ALEXANDRIA, La., April 18, 2022 – Rapides Regional Medical Center’s Trauma team visited Winn Parish Medical Center earlier this month to teach a Rural Trauma Team Development Course.
“The goal of the class is to help rural healthcare facilities develop a systematic approach when caring for trauma patients,” said Shawn Moreau, MSN, TCRN, CEN, Trauma Program Director. “Once processes are put in place and the appropriate team members are identified and know their roles and responsibilities, trauma patients can be stabilized quickly and transferred to a nearby Trauma Center.”
Rapides Regional Medical Center is the area’s only Level II Trauma Center and is the closest Trauma Center to several rural hospitals, many of which had representatives in attendance for this training. Jeremy Timmer, MD, FACS, Trauma Medical Director for Rapides Regional Trauma Center, was featured presenter.
“Patients have the best outcomes when they get to a certified Trauma Center within 60 minutes of injury,” Moreau said. “We have many rural facilities in our area. By teaching them this systematic approach, patients have a better chance of arriving at a Trauma Center during that timeframe.”
This is the first Rural Trauma Team Development Course offered on site at a rural hospital since the beginning of COVID.
Some of the topics covered during training include: Trauma assessment, communication techniques, airway, breathing, circulation, and the interventions that go along with those issues.
Winn Parish Medical Center, Hardtner Medical Center, Winn Parish OEP, Air Evac, Pafford Air and CLTCC nursing students and instructors were all represented during the April 13 training.