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The Trauma Center
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In 1987, Eden Medical Center was designated by the Alameda County Board of Supervisors to become the first Trauma Center to serve the Southern Alameda County. Since then, Eden has cared for more than 35,000 trauma patients and their families, has demonstrated its leadership in emergency and trauma medical care, and has proven its commitment to the health of this community through the toughest of times.
That innovative spirit that has set Eden apart as a leader in healthcare benefits every member of the community, from the hills of Fremont to the windswept Altamont Pass and to the San Leandro shoreline.
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What is Trauma? |
The Golden Hour |
How is a Trauma Center Different from an Emergency Room? |
Why Are Trauma Patients Taken to Eden and Not to the Nearest Hospital Emergency Room? |
What is the Trauma System? |
A Higher Level of Care |
Family Support |
Continuous Education |
The Future |
How You Can Help |
How To Reach Us |
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What is Trauma?
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Trauma is a medical term for a class of very serious injuries that include amputations; penetrating injuries to the head, neck or torso (i.e. gunshot or knife wounds); blunt injuries to the head, neck or torso (most often associated with motor vehicle accidents); ejection from a moving vehicle; certain vehicle accidents and rollovers; falls; multiple bone fractures; and other potentially serious injuries to the head, spine or vital organs. There are specific criteria that paramedics use at the scene to determine if a patient is a critical trauma patient. Whenever a patient is determined to be a trauma patient, the paramedics transport him or her to the nearest trauma center, bypassing closer hospitals. Because they are alerted by radio from the scene or in transport, the trauma team can assemble in the trauma unit and begin treating the patient the moment he or she arrives.
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The Golden Hour
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Last year more than 2,500 seriously injured patients in Alameda County received treatment in Eden Medical Center’s Trauma Center. “Before trauma centers, patients would have to wait hours in an Emergency Room for surgeons or specialists to arrive at the hospital; now, our trauma team is fully prepared and assembled in the trauma room before the patient arrives,” explains one trauma surgeon. “The golden hour is real. If you can take care of these people, or at least start treatment on them within the first hour, it really can save their lives.”
“We start preparing in advance, as soon as a trauma call comes in,” says one trauma nurse. “We get a very brief report that includes the patient’s age, gender and the mechanism of injury, and we immediately begin thinking, ‘What are the worst injuries this patient could have?’ The surgeon, anesthesiologist, respiratory therapist and other trauma team members begin assembling immediately. We set up the surgery trays, and get everything ready. As the paramedics who were on scene wheel the patient in, they describe what injuries they’ve assessed and what treatment they’ve started. Then we begin checking the patient’s airway, breathing and circulation. Is their chest moving? Can they speak? Do they have a list of medications they take or are allergic to in their wallet?”
The radiology technologist takes X-rays of injured areas, blood is drawn and lab tests are conducted immediately. If the patient needs immediate surgery, the operating room nurse begins those preparations. One operating room is available around-the-clock for any trauma patient who needs surgery. As the trauma team works on the patient, a scribe is writing down everything that happens and at what exact time.
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How is a Trauma Center Different from an Emergency Room?
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Eden Medical Center’s trauma center differs from an emergency department in its organized, systematic approach to trauma, its rigorous staffing criteria, and its constant state of readiness 24-hours a day. In addition to a full trauma staff that includes a board-certified trauma surgeon and an anesthesiologist on the premises 24 hours a day, a two-bed trauma unit equipped with the latest technology, a state-of-the-art CT scanner, surgery suite and critical care unit, are always available for trauma patients. Eden Medical Center also has a helicopter landing site on campus, allowing patients to be delivered by air ambulance from anywhere in the Bay Area in just minutes. Because Eden Medical Center is the closest adult trauma center by air to the San Francisco International Airport, local freeways, remote parklands and other heavily populated areas, Eden Medical Center plays a vital role in emergency response efforts.
But what sets the trauma center apart is Eden Medical Center’s trauma team, available around the clock and at a moment’s notice. This team includes a trauma surgeon, emergency department physician, anesthesiologist, trauma nurse, emergency room nurse/scribe, operating room nurse, critical care nurse, trauma technician, lab technologist, respiratory therapist, radiology technologist, paramedic, trauma social worker, rehabilitation coordinator, emergency registrar, and security officer. A family support volunteer responds to support family members, to keep them apprised of their loved one’s condition and provide access to the medical team. A neurosurgeon, vascular surgeon, orthopedic surgeon and other specialists are on-call and can be at the hospital within 30 minutes.
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Why Are Trauma Patients Taken to Eden and Not to the Nearest Hospital Emergency Room?
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This question often arises when a patient is seriously injured in an accident and the ambulance transports the patient to Eden’s trauma center, bypassing hospitals that are closer to the scene of the accident. There are several factors that are involved, including the severity of the injury and the need for immediate treatment. While most emergency rooms have an emergency medicine physician on duty, they do not have an entire medical team and surgical capability at any moment, 24 hours a day. It would require valuable time to assemble the appropriate staff, equipment and support in a basic emergency room – time that trauma patients do not have. The trauma system was created when it was discovered that more lives could be saved by taking critically injured patients to specialized trauma centers for immediate care, eliminating the delays to activate on-call staff and open an operating room. At Eden, an entire trauma team is available, as well as diagnostic services, a designated surgical suite, critical care and specialists in neurosurgery, orthopedics, vascular surgery and more. All of the trauma surgeons are board certified in surgery, and every team member has intensive training to care for the special needs of trauma patients.
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What is the Trauma System?
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The Eden Medical Center Trauma Center is part of a county-wide trauma system designed to provide the best chance of survival for seriously injured individuals. There are three trauma centers in Alameda County. Eden Medical Center provides trauma care for the southern and southeastern part of the county, the Highland Campus of the Alameda County Medical Center provides care for the northern part of the county, and Children’s Hospital Oakland provides care for trauma patients under age 14.
The trauma system includes the 9-1-1 public service answering points; the dispatch centers; the paramedics and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) in first responding fire departments, ambulances, air ambulances, and the three trauma centers. The trauma system is overseen by the Alameda County Board of Supervisors and the Emergency Medical Services division of the Public Health Department.
The Alameda County Trauma System was designed in 1985 after a landmark study by San Francisco trauma specialist Dr. Donald Trunkey showed that approximately 50 percent of people killed in motor vehicle accidents during the previous year in the Bay Area could have possibly survived with this higher level of care. In 1986 the three hospitals were designated as trauma centers, and in 1987 they began offering trauma services. The county’s trauma system was based on population, demographics, patterns of injuries and their locations in the county. The current data show that these three trauma centers are still meeting the county’s needs.
Strict criteria and quality assurance standards are established for every aspect of pre-hospital and hospital care for trauma patients, from care at the scene to rehabilitation. Data is collected on every stage of the patient’s assessment and treatment, from care on the scene, in the trauma center, and through their discharge from the hospital, in a database called the Trauma Registry. Data is collected to assure quality control in the trauma system, for research, and to support the development of programs to prevent traumatic injuries.
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A Higher Level of Care
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The higher level of care offered through Eden’s trauma center benefits not only trauma victims, but the entire hospital and the community. The added experience our trauma surgeons obtain by performing surgery on these most critical patients on a regular basis carries over to every patient they treat at Eden and in their own medical practice. Our trauma and critical care nurses have extensive experience caring for patients with more severe problems because of our role as the Trauma Center. They also go through constant training to stay abreast of the latest techniques and treatments. All of Eden’s diagnostic centers, as well as the operating, critical care, general medical care and rehabilitation services are also strengthened. The trauma service is a center of pride and excellence for everyone at Eden.
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Family Support
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Families play an integral role in every patient’s recovery. Eden Medical Center has a unique Family Support Service to help families work through the maze of questions and emotions that occur when a loved one is injured. The volunteers of Family Support are a dedicated group of people who take their own time to provide comfort to patients – comfort that can come in the form of information about their loved one, a hot cup of tea, or even a shoulder to cry on. To learn more about becoming a Family Support Service volunteer, call (510) 889-5080.
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Continuous Education
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Ongoing education and training for hospital personnel are the cornerstones to success in trauma care. Every physician, nurse and technician must maintain specialty certifications and attend continuing education conferences on trauma care. Every year, trauma team members participate in continuing education with colleagues from across the country to learn the latest in trauma care, prevention and social trends affecting emergency medicine and critical care. Eden has extended this drive for education into the community to provide safety and injury prevention programs to the public. The staff participate in programs to promote bicycle and scooter safety and helmet use, fire prevention, infant and child safety, babysitting clinics, first aid, CPR and even safe driving classes for older adults. Local school children are frequent visitors to Eden, touring the hospital to learn how to respond in an emergency and to stay safe when faced with many dangerous situations.
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The Future
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Eden Medical Center remains committed to providing the highest quality trauma care. The years ahead will bring many changes in health care and at Eden Medical Center as we grow to meet the health needs of our community. One of our greatest opportunities will be to work with our hospital and physician partners in Sutter Health to further our knowledge and skill, create a greater impact on community health and advocate for support of the trauma system and a real focus on reducing trauma-related injuries and deaths.
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How You Can Help
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The Eden Medical Center Foundation supports the mission and purpose of Eden Medical Center by raising awareness and funds to support the hospital’s services. The Foundation has a designated Trauma Fund specifically for enhancing the Trauma Center, whether through the purchase equipment, an investment in education and training of staff, or for trauma prevention programs in the community. To contribute to the Eden Medical Center Foundation, call (510) 889-5033.
The Trauma Prevention Programs at Eden Medical Center focus on child passenger safety, fall prevention among seniors, anti-violence programs and the reduction of alcohol-related accidents. To learn more about these programs, ways you can support our efforts and advocacy issues in the state of California, please call Eden’s Public Relations Department at (510) 727-2720.
The Alameda County Safe Kids Coalition is a collaborative of police, highway patrol, fire, health care providers, child care providers, educators, community agencies and others who are committed to preserving the health and safety of children in our community. To learn more about these efforts and the outreach programs in your community, call Emergency Medical Services District Injury Prevention at (510) 618-2048.
The Joseph Matteucci Foundation’s innovative youth non-violence programs address the issue of youth violence within schools and youth sport activities. The Foundation makes a positive impact on the lives of young people through speaking in schools, funding mediation programs, promoting sportsmanship and frustration management techniques for athletes. For information about the Foundation, call (510)889-7451 or visit the Foundation online.
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How To Reach Us
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Eden Medical Center is located at 20103 Lake Chabot Road in Castro Valley. For directions to our campus, click here.
Due to the severity of injury and for security reasons, visitors are not allowed in the Trauma Center. If you are coming to the hospital to see a patient, please check in with Security upon arrival. You can also call the main hospital at (510) 537-1234 to request further information if available.
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Critically injured patients are brought to Eden's Trauma Center, where the trauma team awaits their arrival to provide immediate care.
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Dr. Scott Snyder, trauma surgeon, assesses a patient.
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Trauma prevention is a major focus of Eden Medical Center and local law enforcement agencies -- working together to prevent injuries and deaths.
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A full surgical team and operating room are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at a moment's notice.
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The chart above shows the most common causes of trauma injuries seen at Eden Medical Center. What is unseen is the prevelance of alcohol in trauma causes, with nearly 40 percent of trauma patients showing a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit.
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The chart above shows the city in which the injury occured. Critically injured patients will bypass local hospital emergency rooms to receive immediate, specialized care in the Trauma Center.
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