Salinas, Calif. (January 31, 2018) — Natividad Medical Center (NMC) celebrates the third anniversary of its Level II Trauma Center designation, as of January 2018. NMC received the designation from the Monterey County Emergency Medical Services Agency (EMS) in January 2015.

“Trauma is the leading cause of death in people aged 1-45 and accounts for 41 million emergency department visits each year,” said Dr. Craig Walls, chief medical officer at Natividad. “Being the only Trauma Center in the area, we see everything from motor vehicle accidents to falls and injuries from violence. While we’re honored to provide the best care for our patients in order to get them back on their feet, we’re also focusing our efforts on trauma prevention.”

Over the last three years, NMC has made improvements to its facility and equipment, and has invested in extensive training and education to elevate trauma care. NMC has also developed prevention and outreach programs to reduce trauma-related injuries in the community. 

Specifically, in 2017, Natividad’s Trauma Center:

• Started a bi-monthly support group within the CHOICE Program that serves family members of patients who have been victims of assault
• Continued to collaborate with EMS and local hospitals to improve identification and rapid transport of patients to the trauma center
• Trained over 55 physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners from around the country in Advanced Trauma Life Support
• Established specialized training for nurses, including Trauma Nursing Core Course certification courses and Trauma Care After Resuscitation education programs
• Continued community outreach and injury prevention programs, including CHOICE (support services for victims of violence), Brain SmartTM (community education on brain injury risks), In One Instant (teen safe driving program), and A Matter of Balance (fall management for older adults)

“There was no doubt I was in the best hands. The trauma surgeons are the kind of doctors everyone should have in a time of need,” said trauma patient Maria Sanchez, 55. “I want people to know that you don’t have to drive to the Bay Area to find these great doctors. Because of them, I can walk again and enjoy my life. Natividad offers the best service you could ever imagine.”

To learn more about the Trauma Center, visit natividad.com/trauma. 

About Natividad Medical Center (NMC)

Owned and operated by Monterey County, NMC is a 172-bed, acute-care hospital providing health care services to county residents for more than 132 years. Based in Salinas, California, NMC offers inpatient, outpatient, emergency, diagnostic and specialty medical care. NMC provides more than 38,000 patient days of care each year and has more than 52,000 emergency department visits per year. NMC is a Level II Trauma Center providing the immediate availability of specialized personnel, equipment and services to treat the most severe and critical injuries. NMC’s Trauma Center is a vital community service locally that saves lives and eliminates the need to fly critically injured patients to a distant trauma center. NMC is ranked No. 1 in newborn deliveries in Monterey County and is the only teaching hospital on the Central Coast through its affiliation with the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). With a medical staff of more than 350 physicians, NMC’s mission is to continually monitor and improve the health of the people, including the vulnerable, in Monterey County through coordinated, affordable high-quality health care. For more information, please call 831-755-4111 or visit www.natividad.com.