HHC to the Rescue

Trauma victims fly in to Jacobi Medical Center's helipad for emergency treatment.

Whether performing delicate microsurgery at Bellevue, accepting diving accident patients and snakebite victims flown in to Jacobi's helipad, caring for pedestrians struck by vehicles at Lincoln or training U.S. Army surgeons in the finest orthopedic trauma surgery techniques at Kings County, New York City public hospitals save the lives of trauma victims every day.

HHC hospitals are recognized worldwide for solving some of the most difficult emergencies imaginable. With this reputation, it's no surprise that an HHC hospital, Jacobi Medical Center, would host one of the largest symposiums in the country for the study of trauma and emergency medicine.

Over 600 attendees from the New York metropolitan region attended the ninth annual Warren Wetzel, MD Trauma/Emergency Medicine Symposium in May to learn about everything from the pitfalls of trauma management to the special considerations of genitourinary trauma. Participants to the conference came from New York City, as well as Westchester, Suffolk and Nassau counties, and Connecticut.

Named in memory of one of the most widely esteemed Chiefs of Trauma Surgery at Jacobi, the conference draws guest faculty from outstanding trauma centers throughout the U.S. Internationally renowned trauma surgeon Dr. Thomas M. Scalea interrupted a trauma advisory project in China to fly to the conference to deliver the keynote address. During his talk, he outlined key strategies in the treatment of geriatric trauma, a problem that is growing in severity as the population ages and succumbs to the dangers of falls, vehicular accidents and other serious injuries.

For many, the most memorable presentation of the day was given by trauma survivor Theresa Sareo. The singer songwriter lost her leg and very nearly her life in 2002 when she was struck by a car in midtown Manhattan. She was saved by the trauma team at Bellevue Hospital. She spoke with feeling and candor about her experiences, and the symposium audience was blown away by her honesty.

"They said that her story will really help them think more about the patients' point of view, while they're treating them - how important it is to patients that they can trust them," observed Janet Cucuzzo, MS, RN, CEN, Trauma Program Manager at Jacobi and organizer for the event.

HHC has six Regional Trauma Centers at Bellevue, Elmhurst, Harlem, Jacobi, Kings County and Lincoln hospitals. With so many excellent trauma centers throughout the city, New Yorkers can be assured that their public hospitals provide some of the best trauma care in the world.