Stroke – STEMI – Trauma Systems
Stroke is the leading cause of disability and the third leading cause of death in Utah. The Utah Department of Health and Human Services has worked in collaboration with the Utah Hospitals and Health Systems Association (UHA) and the Alliance for Cardiovascular Health in Utah (ACHU) to the develop the Utah Stroke System. The goal of the Utah Stroke System is to provide quality and timely emergency care to every stroke patient in the state in order to reduce morbidity and mortality caused by stroke. Hospitals voluntarily become verified as Stroke Receiving Facilities to work in concert with larger Primary Stroke Centers and commit to follow national guidelines in treating patients arriving to the emergency department with symptoms of stroke.
ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) is a time-critical illness, and immediate recognition and treatment are critical to optimal patient outcomes. Many cities and regions across the country have developed formal systems to facilitate the care of these patients. Since 2009, the Office of Emergency Medical Services and Preparedness (EMSP) and the Utah Hospital and Healthcare Systems Association (UHA) have partnered with the American Heart Association to develop such a system for Utah.
STEMI Centers have agreed to an integrated and standardized system of STEMI care linking EMS, emergency departments, and cardiac catheterization laboratories with the goal of developing a system designed to speed the recognition and treatment of STEMI patients who activate the EMS system. Facilities that can provide definitive percutaneous coronary intervention are verified as PCI Centers.
Trauma is the leading cause of death in the population ages 2-45 years of age and the fourth leading cause of death in Utah. The Utah Trauma System is an inclusive system providing a practiced, systematic approach to treating trauma victims in Utah. This approach assists in the timely treatment for trauma patients with the goal that victims of trauma are transported to the right hospital, in the right amount of time. The goal of the Utah Trauma System is to provide quality and timely emergency care to every trauma patient in the state in order to reduce morbidity and mortality caused by trauma. Our inclusive system includes designated Trauma Centers and Resource Hospitals
The Utah Trauma System, which incorporates national guidelines, includes Emergency Medical Services (EMS) agencies and hospitals working together to rapidly and efficiently identify trauma patients and transport them to hospitals with the personnel, equipment, and expertise to provide definitive care for their injuries. Those hospitals, which voluntarily become designated trauma centers, work together with a commitment to follow national best practices to treat trauma victims. For their part, EMS agencies will be notified which hospitals are designated trauma centers and encouraged to transport trauma patients to the hospital best able to treat the trauma patient.
Application Forms
- Resource Hospital and Trauma Capabilities Designation Application
- Stroke Receiving Facility Application
- STEMI/PCI Center Designation Application
- Trauma Designation Request Application
- State Level III Trauma Application
- Level III Designation Criteria
- State Level IV Trauma Application
- Level IV Designation Criteria
- Site Review Documentation
Contact Carl Avery (carlavery@utah.gov or 385-522-1685) with questions or concerns regarding the content of these pages or Utah’s Stroke, STEMI or Trauma Systems.