LRMC Celebrates Trauma Awareness Day 2011
Lakeland Regional Medical Center recently celebrated Trauma Awareness Day with a reception that reunited Trauma staff with the patients whose lives they helped save. The ceremony gave staff a chance to celebrate the progress of the trauma survivors, as well as renew contact with the patients.
Trauma Awareness Day offers a unique time for both patients and hospital staff to show appreciation for the ways they have touched each other’s lives. In many trauma cases, patients can be in the hospital for several months, and during that time, patients and their families become intimately known to the hospital staff. They celebrate triumphs together and regroup after setbacks. But many times, staff are left to wonder what has become of their patients once they leave the hospital.
“Trauma Awareness Day lets us get a glimpse back into the lives of patients we have often wondered about. It is so rewarding to see that the patient’s recovery has continued to progress once they’ve left us, and in many cases, it’s almost overwhelming to see how far our patients have come,” said Janine Curlutu, Trauma Program Manager.
The day also recognizes the vital roles so many different people play in trauma incidents – from emergency personnel to hospital staff ranging from chaplains to respiratory therapists to nurses to doctors, each one plays an integral role in saving a trauma victim. While patients can never prepare themselves for the shock of a trauma situation, our LRMC staff is specially trained for just that.
Furthermore, in 2010, survivor Paul Fairbanks was working as a law enforcement officer when he was severely injured by a gunshot wound. When he attended the Trauma Awareness Day reception, he said he was grateful the Trauma Center at Lakeland Regional was there to save his live.
“This was my first chance to come back and say thank you,” said Fairbanks.
Lakeland Regional Medical Center is a Level II Trauma Center providing initial trauma care, regardless of the injury, with physician subspecialists promptly available. The six full-time Trauma Surgeons at LRMC provide trauma call on a continuous basis under the leadership of the Trauma Medical Director Olu Sobowale, MD.
The Trauma Surgeons are board certified in Surgery and Critical Care Medicine and provide 24-hour coverage for trauma patients in the ICU.