St. Mary's of Michigan Medical Center

St. Mary's of Michigan Medical Center is a hospital in Saginaw, Michigan, United States. St. Mary's is a subsidiary of Ascension Health, and is a teaching affiliate of the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine as well as Central Michigan University. The American College of Surgeons verified the emergency department as a level II trauma center.^[1]

History

In 1873, the pastor of St. Mary's Catholic Church in East Saginaw, Fr. Francis van der Bom, requested that the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul open a hospital in Saginaw.^[2] After arriving in 1874, the Daughters of Charity opened St. Mary's Hospital in 1875. In February 1892, a new five story building was finished. In 1928, a new building was dedicated, adding an emergency room, 4 operating rooms, a medical library, and bringing the total of beds to 156. A new facility was opened in 1961, following the demolition of the 1892 building. The St. Mary's burn unit was opened in 1975. The first open heart surgery was performed at St. Mary's on Sept. 10, 1984.

Trauma Program

St. Mary’s of Michigan trauma program has been re-verified as a Level II Trauma Center by the Verification Review Committee (VRC), an ad hoc committee of the Committee on Trauma (COT) of the American College of Surgeons (ACS). This achievement recognizes the trauma center’s dedication to providing optimal care for injured patients.

St. Mary’s established its Level II Trauma Program six years ago and was the first ACS Verified Level II Trauma Center in the region. St. Mary’s Trauma team provides care for adult patients, serving the mid-northern counties of Michigan. “We treat patients who have the most severe life threatening injuries,” said Samuel Shaheen, MD, Medical Director of St. Mary’s Trauma Center. “Our team of surgeons, physicians, nurses and technicians work with medical specialists from all aspects of care to provide the best possible care for the victim of injury. The teamwork between all members of the trauma team is what allows us to provide quality care to each patient.”

The Verification Program for Hospitals promotes the development of trauma centers in which participants provide not only the hospital resources necessary for trauma care, but also the entire spectrum of care to address the needs of all injured patients. Verified trauma centers must meet the essential criteria that ensure trauma care capability and institutional performance, as outlined by the American College of Surgeons’ Committee on Trauma in its current Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient manual.

References

External links

• St. Mary's of Michigan website
• Ascension Health website