MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – The trauma program at Grand Strand Medical Center has received designation as a Level I Adult Trauma Center and Level II Pediatric Trauma Center by the Bureau of EMS and Trauma with recommendations from the Trauma Advisory Council from the State of South Carolina DHEC.
“The new designation is amazing,” said Trauma Medical Director at Grand Strand Health, Dr. Antonio Pepe. “Your child or loved one doesn’t have to be transferred to another facility where the specialists were once the go-to people. We are now the go-to team to cover both the adult and pediatric emergencies in various forms.”
The new designation means the hospital can provide the highest level of comprehensive care for critically injured patients 24/7.
“We can then provide outreach and education to hopefully educate the population on how to stay safe and minimize the traumas by stopping them from occurring in the first place,” said Dr. Pepe. “We want to be the leaders in our field.”
Dr. Pepe said the new designation will especially comfort parents who won’t have to travel out of the county for their children’s care.
“We’re very proud of that,” he added. “We’re working very hard to build that program for the last several years. We have a state-of-the-art pediatric intensive care unit, we have amazing pediatric intensivists who are involved in every trauma case we admit to the hospital to provide the highest standard of pediatric care.”
The hospital has been treating trauma patients for years but this designation gives them a slight boost.
“The big difference now is that we have research with a new residency program, which solidifies our commitment to our research and education to the community,” said Dr. Pepe.
Dr. Pepe said it takes a lot of hard work to receive the upgraded status as well as a strong understanding of your facility.
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