Trauma Services 

The Crozer Regional Trauma Center team works closely with our community's Emergency Medical Services (EMS) professionals to provide lifesaving care at the scene of an emergency. When an EMS unit identifies a traumatic injury, it immediately notifies the Trauma Center.

The trauma team guides emergency medical technicians and paramedics to provide the most effective care for the patient on the way to Crozer. In turn, the trauma team gathers the information needed to prepare to treat the patient when (s)he arrives. 

Every morning, our multidisciplinary team of surgeons, primary nurses, nurse practitioners, trauma case managers and trauma pharmacists visits every patient at the bedside.

The team assesses the patient’s condition and progress, and updates his or her daily care plan. In addition, physicians and trauma nurse practitioners respond to the bedside immediately at the request of the nurse throughout the day.

The multidisciplinary team meets once a week with an expanded team of health care professionals, including the trauma program manager, trauma unit nurse manager, physical and occupational therapists, nutritionist and dedicated social worker. The Crozer Team discusses each patient’s condition and progress, care plan and discharge plan—all part of Crozer’s comprehensive approach to trauma care.   

The Surgical Trauma Unit is a dedicated 15-bed intensive care unit for our most critically injured patients. Directed by trauma physicians, it’s staffed by eight trauma nurses and two nurse trauma practitioners with the specialized training and experience required to care for these injuries.

The Surgical Trauma Unit reduces time in intensive care and works to help patients continue their recovery following intensive care. Within 48 hours after a patient is discharged from intensive care to the Step-down Unit, a Surgical Trauma Unit nurse visits the patient and consults with step-down nurses to assure continuity of care. 

For Youth

For children and teen-agers, the Trauma Center offers public outreach and education programs focusing on trauma prevention, including bicycle safety, playground safety and seatbelt safety. Crozer professionals reach adolescents by attending dozens of community health fairs each year as well as providing specially scheduled programs at schools. Crozer’s Trauma Prevention Committee also developed the Counter Act Random Acts of Violence Now (CARAVN) program to sensitize young people to violent behavior and its consequences. CARAVN is offered to students throughout the Chester-Upland School District, Ridley High School and other schools. It is also a mandatory part of the Consent Decree Program for first-time offenders in the Delaware County Juvenile Probation Department. 

For Adults and Seniors  

The Crozer Regional Trauma Center plays an active role in the senior community. Crozer physicians and other professionals present a range of programs at local senior centers, focusing on a range of topics, including domestic violence and home safety. The Trauma Center also formed a Geriatric Task Force to create guidelines for treating geriatric trauma patients. In addition, the Trauma Center works closely with other Crozer-Keystone Health System programs devoted to seniors. These initiatives include the Senior Wellness Program, which coordinates such offerings as the Geriatric Evaluation and Management program and the Senior Support Line, which seniors and their loved ones can call to be connected to various community services; and a Fall Risk Assessment and Intervention Program coordinated by the health system’s Physical Medical and Rehabilitation Department. 

For Health Care Professionals  

The Crozer Regional Trauma Center serves as an educational resource for other emergency medicine and trauma professionals in the region. The Trauma Center conducts an annual adult and pediatric symposium for health care professionals in the community, from physicians to social workers. The Trauma Center participates in frequent continuing education programs specifically geared for emergency medical services professionals. Trauma Center professionals also provide periodic educational sessions about various topics for medical students and working professionals. These sessions are provided both at Crozer and in the community. 

For more information about outreach programs coordinated by the Crozer Regional Trauma Center, contact Debra Lillback at 610-447-6091. 

Established by the Crozer Regional Trauma Center in 2006, this service enhances the continuity and quality of care for patients who need complex surgery and who have advanced cardiac or pulmonary diseases that increase their risk for surgery. Intensivists make daily visits/assessments throughout the duration of the patient’s stay in the Intensive Care Unit. 

Sometimes, trauma victims such as children, or patients with spinal cord injuries need more specialized care. Those patients are provided with life-saving emergency treatment and then transported to one of the specialized (Level One) facilities in the area.