ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — The NAACP of St. Louis County is speaking out against a recently announced plan to cut trauma services from a north St. Louis County hospital, calling the area "one of the most underserved communities."
SSM Health is reducing trauma services in its DePaul Hospital in Bridgeton, beginning Sept. 10. The move will leave North St. Louis County without a designated trauma center for urgent and severe injuries.
The statement from the NAACP said ignoring the impacts of scaled-back trauma services in one of Missouri's largest populations receiving or enrolled in Medicaid "is detrimental to the lifeblood of North St. Louis County."
"If you fall and hit your head on the driveway, on concrete [and] you get blunt trauma, the time it's going to take to get you to one of those other trauma centers could be the difference between life and death," John Bowman, the president of the St. Louis County NAACP said.
He is also the director of the Northeast Ambulance and Emergency Fire District, and he referred to his work as a first responder in his statements against the cuts.
"The decision to suspend trauma services to North St. Louis County is irresponsible and disheartening," Bowman said in a press release. "I can speak to the volume of emergency calls in this area. We have one of the busiest districts in North County ... This population, over 900,000 people, it's the largest population that receives Medicaid. Medicaid and underserved communities tend to be those in most need of that type of treatment because that's where they can afford to go so I'm surprised to hear that they are seeing less people considering," Bowman said.
He believes EMS departments could face rising costs and route changes due to the decision. He says it's imperative that community members and leaders explore all viable options to make sure residents in north County can get the trauma services they need when they need it unless the planned cuts are canceled.
"SSM Health still has time to make the right call, work with our community leaders, partners, and friends to right this disappointment and restore our faith in SSM Health St. Louis’ commitment to our community," Bowman said.
The closest Level I Trauma Center from DePaul Hospital is Mercy Medical Center in Creve Coeur, which is a 13-minute drive from DePaul. Other Level I Trauma Centers, including Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Saint Louis University Hospital, are 24 and 27 minutes away, respectively.
Kevin Stuhlman, assistant fire chief with Pattonville Fire Protection District said that on average it's an eight-minute transport from anywhere in their district to DePaul.
It could take an additional 20 minutes to get to another trauma center. Stuhlman worries about the loss of time, as calls have gone up.
"We have the 270 Corridor and we have a good section of the Page extension, our number one call that we run into are motor vehicle accidents," Stulhman said when the change was announced last week.
Mark Flauter is the Chief Medical Officer at Florissant Valley Fire Protection District.
"We have shooting and stabbings," Flauter said last week. "We cover 270 and a fair share of vehicle accidents. We have Lindbergh, north US Highway 67, New Halls Ferry that run through our district. The blunt trauma from these accidents can cause internal bleeding and they need a trauma center and care in the operating room."
SSM Health said in a statement that it will work closely with local EMS providers during the transition. EMS may still bring patients to the Bridgeton hospital for "life-saving stabilization" before being transported to a local trauma-designated center.
"Overall, disappointed to see the trauma services reduced," Bridgeton Mayor Terry Briggs said in a statement. "I believe DePaul was the last hospital north of I-70 to offer this level of emergency care. I’m concerned about response times."
DePaul Hospital will continue to serve as a Level I center for treating strokes and heart attacks after the discontinued trauma services.
In a statement, the NAACP of St. Louis County formally issued a request to meet with SSM Health's Board of Directors and others to find a better solution to proposed cuts.
"We invite SSM Health to uphold its commitment to 'expand access to affordable care, enhance social-based programs, and provide communities with the tools needed to live a healthier life', and uphold its promise to 'focus a significant amount of its social work on the underserved,'" the NAACP statement.
"A decision this major is one we'd really like to have had the opportunity to have some input on," Bowman told 5 On Your Side.
Read SSM Health's full statement announcing the changes:
At SSM Health DePaul Hospital - St. Louis, we’re continually evaluating the services we provide to ensure we’re best meeting the evolving needs of the patients and community we are privileged to serve. Trauma care is a highly-specialized service – and medical best practice shows we must treat a minimum number of patients to maintain the level of experience, training and equipment a trauma program requires. Yet, only a very small percentage of individuals treated in our emergency room each year require trauma services. After careful deliberation and extensive input from our physicians and staff, we have decided to discontinue our Level II Trauma designation as of September 10, 2023.
We will partner closely with our local EMS providers over the next few months to ensure a smooth transition. Individuals in need of these specialized services will still receive the expert care they need at other nearby trauma-designated centers, including SSM Health St. Louis University Hospital - St. Louis.
Trauma patients are typically brought to hospitals by EMS. In some cases, EMS may choose to bring patients to DePaul Hospital for life-saving stabilization until they can be safely transported to a trauma-designated center.
"SSM Health remains committed to providing the right care at the right time, for those who need us. We will continue to provide comprehensive 24/7 emergency services to our patients and community. As a Level I Time Critical Diagnosis STEMI Center and Comprehensive Stroke Center, DePaul Hospital will continue to provide advanced, life-saving treatment to critically ill and injured patients. These certifications will not be affected by discontinuing our trauma status.