The Level I Trauma Center at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center is certified by the Arizona Emergency Medical System to care for the most gravely injured patients. The Trauma Center at Banner Good Samaritan is one of five in the Phoenix area, annually caring for more than 2,500 Level I trauma patients who have sustained serious physical injuries from an external force.

A Level I trauma program must have dedicated hospital resources for the management of trauma patients throughout all aspects of their care, including resuscitation, acute care and rehabilitation. Trauma surgeons, dedicated trauma teams of nurses and technicians and anesthesiologists are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Other specialty surgeons, like neurosurgeons, must be available within a half hour after they are called.

Trauma care for these patients begins in the five-bed Resuscitation Area, a room located inside the Banner Good Samaritan Emergency Center. Under the guidance of the specialized trauma surgeon, our experienced trauma team rapidly diagnoses the kind of injuries a patient may have, assesses the extent of these injuries, and then begins treatment.

Once out of the Resuscitation Area, a patient is most likely to go to the Operating Room for a surgical procedure, or be admitted into the Trauma Intensive Care Unit (ICU) or another patient care unit. The staff in Trauma ICU has impressive expertise and experience in caring for gravely injured patients. The trauma surgeon works closely with this staff in managing a trauma patient, and is able to draw on the skills of numerous physician specialists.

Many trauma patients require the care provided in the Banner Good Samaritan Rehabilitation Institute following their stay in the Trauma ICU. Rehabilitation programs are individually designed to meet the needs of each trauma patient. Rehabilitation can include physical, occupational, speech and recreation therapies. A physiatrist – a physician who specializes in rehabilitation – directs the rehabilitation care of these patients.

Following hospitalization, many patients continue to be under the care of the trauma surgeon in a clinic or private office setting. This path of care – from resuscitation, hospitalization, rehabilitation and into the physician office – ensures that a Level I Trauma patient is receiving the best possible care under the guidance of the specialized trauma surgeon.