Letter from the president: Trauma designation process to benefit community

When I first joined Texas Health Harris Methodist Hurst-Euless-Bedford as President in 2007, I was immediately impressed with how much the hospital offers its local communities. It didn’t take long for me to notice that the hospital’s combined strengths could provided us with a unique opportunity — an opportunity to offer trauma services.

No one wants to imagine that they’ll have an accident that is life-threatening, nor do they worry which hospital would care for them if they do.  As health care providers, it’s our job to think of all the possibilities.

Texas Health HEB has always had an emergency room to handle accidents and other health emergencies. In the recent years we have worked diligently to increase our ability to treat the number of emergencies we see on a daily basis. We haven’t just been talking about it; we have worked at it by investing numerous work hours and even capital investments to put systems and equipment in place.

It’s been paying off…

Watch for ice!

After several days cooped up with the ice and cold conditions, many of us are getting a bit antsy wanting to venture out beyond the confines of our houses.

But as people are getting out they’re also getting hurt.

Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford has been seeing more and more patients of all ages coming in because of falls, said Dr. Adrian Church, a emergency room physician on the medical staff at Texas Health HEB.

“It’s been really busy today; they’ve been holed up waiting and now have the chance to go outside,” he said. “People of all ages are walking out, slipping and breaking bones. We’re seeing quite a variety today.”

When it comes to ice, the best advice comes down to common sense. But as a refresher, Church offered the following tips:

•         Be cautious of icy patches.
•         Be sure you have something to hold on to, for example when walking around the car keep a hand on the vehicle.
•         If you or a loved one has an unsteady gait have someone help guide you.
•         Take smaller steps and don’t rush.

In addition to trying those tips, Church echoes the caution of the past few days in that if you don’t need to go out it’s probably best to stay in and avoid the risk. 

Doctors on the medical staff practice independently and are not employees or agents of the hospital.