SAN ANTONIO – While city leaders are hesitant to weigh in on whether Methodist Hospital should be allowed to upgrade to a Level II trauma center, leaders with University Health are weighing in on their concerns for their center and Brooke Army Medical Center.
Some residents have questioned whether another trauma center could help reduce emergency room wait times. University Health spokesperson Leni Kirkman said trauma centers are designed to treat patients with severe injuries, including those caused by car crashes, gun violence and falls. They do not serve the same purpose as general emergency departments, she said.
“Trauma is not an emergency room,” Kirkman said. “Trauma center is a whole hospital. Trauma teams are activated when a patient is injured. Not sick, not a heart attack, not a stroke, but when they suffer an injury that might require surgery.”
Kirkman said the most seriously injured patients need the resources and expertise available at a Level I trauma center. While she explained that San Antonio has 13 trauma centers, most are level three and four, which are responsible for lower-level traumas.
“Every hospital can’t be a level one trauma center,” she said. “First of all, there are not enough specialists to staff them, and it is extremely expensive to operate a level one trauma center, so they are very important resources in their region.”
Kirkman said the number of trauma cases requiring the highest level of care has declined, even as San Antonio’s population continues to grow. Kirkman said spreading those patients across more facilities could affect the experience and training available at University Health and Brooke Army Medical Center.
In a statement, BAMC said patient volume is crucial to patient care and military medical readiness. Kirkman said BAMC also brings battlefield medical expertise to the San Antonio community.
She said reducing the number of patients treated at the city’s existing Level I trauma centers could affect highly trained surgeons, specialists and trauma research.
“When it’s your loved one, you want somebody who has done it multiple times before they are operating on your loved ones,” Kirkman said.
The decision ultimately rests with the Department of State Health Services, but in a committee meeting Tuesday, District 4 Councilman Edward Mungia, District 7 Councilwoman Marina Alderete Galvito, and District 8 Councilwoman Ivalis Meza Gonzales cited a lack of information and concerns about limiting healthcare options.
District 9 Councilwoman Misty Spears said that an added trauma center would ultimately hurt BAMC’s military mission, and leaders at the Pentagon were concerned.
Methodist has not filed official paperwork with DSHS to upgrade its trauma services yet, but city leaders said Tuesday that they would begin taking steps on Oct. 1. Methodist has not responded to KSAT’s inquiries for comment.
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