[terrieb]

Just curious - I read about a car accident near Paddock Square and it said one of the car accident victims was taken to Ocala hospital and the other car victims were taken to Leeburg hospital for treatment. Isn't the Villages hospital closer? Why wouldn't they be transported or taken to the Villages hospital. I've seen reports of other accidents where the car victims were taken to other hospitals? Why?

[redwitch]

Ocala is the nearest trauma center. Leesburg is better equipped to handle emergencies.

[HMLRHT1]

From Paddock Square the Leesburg hospital is actually closer. If the patient isn't in serious condition then they can request to be transported to whatever hospital they want. Trauma patients are usually taken to Ocala or Orlando depending on the level of trauma to the patient.

[terrieb]

Originally Posted by redwitch

Ocala is the nearest trauma center. Leesburg is better equipped to handle emergencies.

One would think with this many people living in the Villages, they would have a trauma center that would handle any kind of trauma. What kind of reputation does the Villages Hospital have? I am a little concerned that a hospital within the Villages can not handle trauma in it's own city.

[BarryRX]

In the United States, injury is the leading cause of death for persons aged 1--44 years, and the approximately 800,000 emergency medical services (EMS) providers have a substantial impact on the care of injured persons and on public health. At an injury scene, EMS providers determine the severity of injury, initiate medical management, and identify the most appropriate facility to which to transport the patient through a process called "field triage." Although basic emergency services generally are consistent across hospital emergency departments (EDs), certain hospitals have additional expertise, resources, and equipment for treating severely injured patients. Such facilities, called "trauma centers," are classified from Level I (centers providing the highest level of trauma care) to Level IV (centers providing initial trauma care and transfer to a higher level of trauma care if necessary) depending on the scope of resources and services available. The risk for death of a severely injured person is 25% lower if the patient receives care at a Level I trauma center. However, not all patients require the services of a Level I trauma center; patients who are injured less severely might be served better by being transported to a closer ED capable of managing milder injuries. Transferring all injured patients to Level I trauma centers might overburden the centers, have a negative impact on patient outcomes, and decrease cost effectiveness. Here in The Villages, we are fortunate in that we don't have enough trauma (car accidents, shootings, etc) to support a trauma center. We are way outside of the age group that suffers the most severe traumatic injuries.