Chicago's South Side Has Its First Trauma Center In 27 Years

CHICAGO, IL — There's an adult trauma center open on the South Side of Chicago for the first time in 27 years. A Level 1 Adult Trauma Center opened at the University of Chicago Medical Campus Tuesday at 8 a.m., with the first patient having been taken there around noon. The new operation is the first open trauma center on the South Side of the city since 1991, when the center at the old Michael Reese Hospital permanently closed.

"This not only signals the official activation of our Level 1 Adult Trauma Center, but it also marks another significant achievement by our organization," hospital leaders wrote in an email to employees. "The events of the past seven days are testimony to the tremendous strides we have made over the past several years to be a stronger academic health system for our community and patients."

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UChicago first pledged to become a Level 1 Adult Trauma Center in December of 2015. They have since hired additional employees to prepare for the opening, including 18 trauma professionals from around the country.

The hospital expect to treat at least 2,000 trauma patients over by this time next year.

That could mean a significant decrease in patients at the Emergency Room of Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, which was the nearest center for those in need of trauma services in many neighborhoods on the South Side of the city.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel referred to "years of advocacy, planning and partnership" as ways to make the opening of the new service at the university possible.

“I commend the community members and advocates, University of Chicago and their health care partners for working together in a coordinated, collaborative effort to ensure equity in essential medical services and that the highest quality health care is in close reach of every resident of Chicago,” the mayor wrote in a statement to media on Tuesday.

UChicago expects to spend about $48 million a year on the new service.

It's official: We began Level 1 adult trauma care this morning and our first trauma patient arrived at noon. pic.twitter.com/5hwfWWdVD1
— UChicago Medicine (@UChicagoMed) May 1, 2018

Photo courtesy of the University of Chicago Medicine