8 | Health Matters: Providence Humboldt County
The Value of
High-Level
Care
A local trauma center
can mean the difference
between life and death.
QUICK ACTIONS TO
STOP THE BLEED
1. Call 911.
2. Apply pressure with hands.
3. Apply dressing and press.
4. Apply tourniquet.
"W
e don't want to see you as a trauma patient," says Brandon Klith, RN, manager of
the trauma program at Providence St. Joseph Hospital Eureka. What Klith means
is he wants everyone in the community to be safe and never have to be treated for
any form of trauma. This may not be the current reality, but it is definitely a goal. That's why
Humboldt County is so fortunate to have a Level III trauma center.
It used to be that motor vehicle crashes were the number one cause of injury and trauma
nationwide. But because of all the enhanced safety features that have been added to
vehicles and the many road improvements, the leading cause of injury now is falls, especially
in elderly patients who may be on blood thinners. This is true in Humboldt, where falls,
followed by vehicle crashes, account for the most trauma center visits.
The trauma program at Providence St. Joseph Hospital works very closely with EMS personnel,
because they are the ones on the scene of a crash. They alert the hospital that a trauma patient
is on the way and relay the nature of the injuries they observe.
