Essentia Health-Fosston provides trauma care close to home with hospital re-designation

The Minnesota Department of Health has re-designated Essentia Health-Fosston as a Level IV Trauma Hospital. This designation is valid for three years.

To achieve this, staff voluntarily participated in the intense designation process to become part of Minnesota's statewide trauma system. The process included an independent review of the hospital's resources and capabilities to care for trauma patients. Essentia Health-Fosston met standards of commitment, clinical and equipment resources and staff training. The hospital also participates in a continuous performance-improvement process to ensure we are keeping expert care close to home for the patients we serve.

"We are incredibly proud to be re-designated as a Level IV trauma hospital," said Fosston hospital administrator Mike Curtis. "We want our community to know that their local hospital is equipped to provide this critical care and is part of a larger network of skilled facilities across Minnesota."

For a severely injured person, the time between sustaining an injury and receiving definitive care — the "golden hour" — is the most important predictor of survival. The chance of survival diminishes with time; however, a trauma system enhances the chance of survival regardless of proximity to an urban trauma hospital.

"Injury is the leading cause of premature death in Minnesota," said Minnesota Commissioner of Health Dr. Brooke Cunningham. "The goal of the trauma system is to decrease injured patients' time to care by making sure their medical needs are appropriately matched with hospital resources. With the designation of Essentia Health-Fosston as a Level IV Trauma Hospital, we are getting closer to our goal of ensuring that seriously injured Minnesotans have access to an organized system of trauma care wherever they are in the state."

On average, trauma claims the lives of 4,300 Minnesotans annually. States with trauma systems have seen survival rates increase by 15-20%. Wide-scale participation in the voluntary trauma system ensures that a statewide, cooperative effort is in place to care for seriously injured patients.

"This re-designation reflects our team's dedication to providing exceptional care," said Stephanie McKnight, nursing director at Essentia Health-Fosston. "It demonstrates to our pre-hospital partners and community that our emergency department is prepared to care for patients with serious injuries. The nurses and providers have maintained trauma training for many years and over the last two years we have been actively working on re-designation. This recognition validates the hard work we’ve put in to ensuring high-quality care close to home."

Learn more about Minnesota's trauma system at health.state.mn.us.

Redesignated as an Acute Stroke Ready Hospital by the Minnesota Department of Health earlier this year, Essentia Health-Fosston is also one of 121 hospitals recognized in Minnesota for their preparedness to evaluate, stabilize and provide emergency treatment to patients with acute stroke symptoms.