Rural Trauma Team Delivers Exceptional Training

La Jara, Colorado. 

The Rural Trauma Team Development Course (RTTDC) has been developed by the ad hoc Rural Trauma Committee of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma to help rural hospitals with the development of their trauma teams. San Luis Valley Health (SLVH) hosted the education course at Conejos County Hospital (CCH) on March 10, 2022.

The goal of the course is to improve the quality of care in their community by developing a timely, organized, rational response to the care of the trauma patient and a team approach that addresses the common problems in the initial assessment and stabilization of the injured. It is the purpose of RTTDC© to increase the efficiency of resource utilization and improve the level of care provided to the injured patient in the rural setting.

There were over 20 participants at Conejos County Hospital in La Jara, Colorado. Teams attended from CCH, SLVH’s Regional Medical Center, and Rio Grande Hospital. Attendees included nurses, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and providers. Centura Trauma Outreach provides the curriculum. Instruction was provided by Dr. Charles Mains, St. Anthony’s Trauma Medical Director; Mike Archuleta, Centura’s Trauma Outreach Coordinator; Carla Christ, MD, SLVH General Surgeon; Laura Edgerley-Gibb, MD, Innova Emergency Department (ED) provider at RMC; Sam Slade, DO, Innova ED medical director and provider at CCH and RMC; Darrick Garcia, RN, BSN, SLVH EMS Director; and Julie Ramstetter, BSN, RN, TCRN, Trauma Services Director for SLVH. The education was a combination of lectures and hands-on skills and scenarios training.