USA Health opens new trauma center with more room, better technology, at University Hospital | News


USA Health opens new trauma center with more room, better technology, at University Hospital | News

MOBILE, ALA. (WALA)- The only level one trauma center in the upper gulf coast area just got a little bigger, and better.

Friday, the ribbon was cut on USA Health’s new “Fanny Meisler Trauma Center”.

Sam Dean, Administrator of USA Health University Hospital & Assistant Vice President for Medical Affairs said, “You can hold 3 ambulance vehicles at one time. So, you can be offloading three ambulances at one time, which here that happens a lot.”

The new center, more than doubles the hospital’s current ER, with 38 exam rooms and three trauma bays.

Owen Bailey, Chief Executive Officer & Senior Associate Vice President for Medical Affairs said, “It’s a facility that’s much, much needed. We’ve been in the older, smaller location for decades. This facility is a much more modern design.”

Hospital leaders said the CT and X-ray in the same building, is a medical game changer when every second counts.

“Right now we have to take patients from the ER back into radiology for those kind of studies and bring them back. So once you’re in this unit, we can treat you and get the proper diagnostics that we need,” said Bailey.

Dean added, “The quicker you’re able to diagnose what’s going on with that trauma patient, the quicker you can address it and that literally shows in the data. That’s when the best outcomes happen and lives are saved.”

Four million of the 20 million dollars that went towards the project came from a state grant through an economic development bond issue. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey was in Mobile for the ribbon cutting.

She said, “This is a big deal. Not only for quality of healthcare for local folks, but when companies are thinking about expanding here, many of these companies rely on need to have a level one trauma center. So now they’ve got it!”

The center is named in honor of the late wife of local philanthropist Bert Meisler, who donated $5 million dollars for the project.

“She’s going to be looking down on us and watching and they better run it right or she’ll let them know,” said Meisler.

USA Health is also in the process of adding two floors with 64 new beds above the new trauma center. Those should be ready to go within the next 6 months to a year.

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