Almost one year after the Cypress Fairbanks Medical Center Hospital upgraded its trauma center to a Level III designation, access to trauma services in the Cy-Fair area has improved significantly. The upgrade brought high-end medical services to Cy-Fair residents that could previously only be found in the Texas Medical Center in downtown Houston, said Terry Wheeler, CEO of the Cy-Fair Medical Center Hospital.

Trauma designations are determined by the American College of Surgeons. A Level III designation means between 10 to 12 patients per month must be transported to Level I hospitals in the Texas Medical Center.

Maintaining the level of service has been an ongoing process, Wheeler said.

“They just don’t hand these things out, nor is it something you endeavor to do in a very short timeline,” he said. “There’s a learning process. Each event is unique. We’re engaging things we haven’t encountered before, but we’ve found we’re well-prepared.”

Hospital officials are tracking data on how many times the center is activated daily, mechanisms of injury and ambulance use tied to the center, Wheeler said. The center is used for everything from car accidents to severe lacerations and includes orthopedic and neurosurgical elements.

“We’re the only trauma center in the Cy-Fair area, and we are serving a community of 750,000 people,” Wheeler said. “Reaching this level is an indicator that our hospital is running very efficiently in the way we treat traumatic injuries.”

Dr. David Persee, city of Houston emergency medical services physician director, said the overall need for trauma services in the Greater Houston area exceeds availability. Ideally there would be a Level I trauma center for every million residents, he said.

“Our center is activated several times a day, so it’s definitely being utilized,” Wheeler said.