When UF Health TraumaOne began in 1983, it was the first trauma program in the state of Florida. Today, it is still the only adult and pediatric Level I trauma program in Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia.
On any given day, anyone can end up a patient in the TraumaOne trauma center. Ordinary activities – picking up the kids from school, painting the house, walking the dog – can turn into a life-or-death situation in the blink of an eye.
Raqeem came in with a traumatic brain injury after being hit on his bicycle, and we knew we needed to act quickly.
TraumaOne's highly qualified staff consists of University of Florida acute care surgeons, UF Health Jacksonville nurses and others with extensive training in caring for trauma patients. Unlike other hospitals in the area, surgeons and other health care professionals in areas such as neurosurgery, oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthopaedic trauma surgery and cardiothoracic surgery are available on campus 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The UF Health TraumaOne program consists of four integrated components:
Trauma center
Flight services
Communications/dispatch
Trauma prevention and education
The state's trauma programs are governed by a strict set of standards set by the Florida Department of Health. Every three years, TraumaOne undergoes a site visit in order to maintain its Level I trauma center accreditation. It is a rigorous review of every aspect of the program.
How do Level I trauma centers differ from other trauma centers?
Coverage
As a Level I trauma center that serves a large community, UF Health TraumaOne has not only trauma surgeons and emergency medicine physicians on-site 24/7, but also specialists in orthopaedic surgery, neurosurgery, cardiothoracic surgery, vascular surgery, hand surgery, microvascular surgery, plastic surgery, obstetric and gynecologic surgery, ophthalmology, otolaryngology/oral and maxillofacial surgery, and urology. In addition, these specialists are readily available to provide additional care once patients are placed in the ICU. When every second counts, it’s best to have highly trained medical specialists across the hall instead of across town.
Education
Level I centers lead in trauma prevention education for their surrounding communities. TraumaOne leads patient education efforts in Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia teaching the following public courses:
Bike safety instruction for children
Car seat safety instruction for parents
Distracted driving simulation for teens and adults
Fall prevention techniques for senior citizens
Mock DUI events for high school students
Stop the Bleed techniques for children and adults to help prevent deaths during mass casualty events
In addition, TraumaOne providers and staff are actively involved in training regional emergency medical services (EMS) personnel. And, through its affiliation with the University of Florida College of Medicine – Jacksonville, TraumaOne serves as a teaching hub for tomorrow’s general surgeons and trauma surgeons.
Research
Level I trauma centers are expected to conduct trauma-related research, helping advance medicine and forge new innovations in trauma care.
ACS Verified Trauma Center
Since 2018, UF Health Jacksonville's Level I trauma center has been designated a Verified Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons. A distinction given only to trauma centers that meet the most stringent criteria, TraumaOne is one of 13 ACS-verified centers in Florida.
