WILMINGTON – They have been at the forefront of national tragedies: the attempted assassination of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and the tornado that ripped through Joplin, Missouri and the city hospital. On February 10, these leaders in crisis response will be in Wilmington to share their experiences at New Hanover Regional Medical Center’s Trauma and Emergency Symposium.
Peter Rhee, MD, Director of Trauma Treatment at the University Medical Center of Tucson, Arizona and Jeff Hamilton, Emergency Management Regional Manager of Saint John’s Mercy Medical Center, Joplin, Missouri, are two of the speakers at the two-day event at the Wilmington Convention Center. Others include Lawrence Dauer, PhD, from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, who will discuss lessons learned from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power facility disaster in Japan, and William Hope, MD, from New Hanover Regional Medical Center. Dr. Hope will highlight how advances in medicine and the access to the Level II trauma services at NHRMC are helping more people survive traumatic injuries.
The impressive panel of speakers is expected to bring in hundreds of people with an interest in emergency medical and trauma services from across the country. They’ll learn about the latest in medical care as well as the strategies for helping ensure their local communities are prepared for disasters.
The large expo hall will showcase some of the vehicles designed for particular emergency needs. The hospital’s Major Incident Response Vehicle will be among those on display. The NHRMC Pediatric Intensive Care Ambulance is also scheduled to be at the expo.
The 23rd Annual Trauma Symposium is sponsored by New Hanover Regional Medical Center and SEAHEC (South East Area Health Education Center) to advance care through education. The symposium is open to the public with advance registration. It runs Friday, February 10 from 7:30am until 5:30pm and Saturday, February 11 from 7:30am until noon. A full schedule and registration information are available at
www.SEAHEC.net/TraumaSymposium.
New Hanover Regional Medical Center is the Trauma Center for the region. More than 1,700 patients per year are admitted to the hospital through the Trauma Center, one of 10 Level II or higher trauma sites designated by the state's Office of Emergency Medical Services.
The Trauma Center includes not only the Trauma Services Department, but the Emergency Department, Surgical Services, Surgical/Trauma Intensive Care Unit, the surgical floor at New Hanover Regional, and the NHRMC Rehabilitation Center. The Trauma Center works with New Hanover Regional EMS, VitaLink, and AirLink, the hospital's critical care ground and air ambulance service.