Photo by Shawn Arrajj In a process that began eight years ago, the Cypress Fairbanks Medical Center Hospital on Steepletop Drive has achieved a level III trauma designation from the State of Texas. Hospital officials celebrated the honor Feb. 12 with local emergency services workers, medical center staff and members of the community. "It's extremely rewarding for me to see this come about," Cy-Fair Hospital CEO Terry Wheeler said. "To reach this level while serving a community of over 750,000 people involves a lot of hard work from every employee at this hospital." The upgrade makes the hospital the highest rated trauma center in the Cy-Fair area. Ratings are determined based on a statewide trauma system that factors in how fast patients with life-threatening injuries can be delivered to the center and what resources the center has to treat them. "We had to demonstrate in a quantitative way our ability to provide access to doctors, nurses and surgeons who are certified to deal with traumatic situations," said Trauma Center Director I. Wadiwala. "It's an area that we have been reviewing for years to find ways to improve to reach this level." Previously, patients in need of level III services would have to be transferred to the Texas Medical Center in downtown Houston, Wheeler said. The long trip to the Medical Center was also taxing on local EMS organizations. The upgraded Cy-Fair center means EMS drivers will no longer have to make that trek, and can be returned to the Cy-Fair community that much quicker. "This transfer is something that could add another 30 minutes to one hour to the time before a patient is treated, depending on traffic," Wheeler said. "That's a lot of time when every second counts. Having a level III center in our area is something that will literally be the difference between life and death for some patients."