Consultant Questions Need for Three Trauma Centers in Santa Clara County
The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted unanimously to accept a consultant's report indicating that there are more trauma centers than needed in the county and that services at those facilities are too often used for patients whose illnesses do not require that level of care, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
According to the Mercury News, the report from Abaris Group could have a "critical" impact on Regional Medical Center in San Jose, which the Board of Supervisors in May designated as the county's third trauma center. Valley Medical Center and Stanford University Hospital also operate trauma centers in the county.
County officials, who must approve trauma centers, are expected to sign a three-year contract with Regional this month for trauma care services. Regional is expected to replace trauma care services previously provided by San Jose Medical Center, which closed in December 2004.
Regional CEO Bill Gilbert said the board of the hospital will publish a rebuttal in several weeks (Woolfolk, San Jose Mercury News, 9/14).