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RELATED STORY: Firm set to continue ER service at NWTH Setting the Record Straight NWTH officials clear the air By Greg Rohloff In his presentation to the monthly meeting of area emergency medical personnel, the chief medical officer of Northwest Texas Healthcare System said he wanted to clear the air about some inaccurate statements published about Northwest's trauma center. The March 27 meeting of the Panhandle Emergency Medical Services System Panhandle Regional Advisory Council had taken care of its routine business when Dr. Nathan Goldstein stepped to the podium to talk about Northwest's emergency department, classified by state health regulations as a Level III trauma center, and to introduce the unit's director, Dr. Dennis Dove. Goldstein said statements in the Amarillo Globe-News, that Northwest's ER is the only designated trauma center in the Panhandle, were wrong. The Globe-News was reporting on the rivalry between the established Northwest Texas trauma center and Baptist St. Anthony's Health System's planned Level II center, a plan BSA kept quiet until it hired the team of physicians that staffs Northwest's emergency room,. Nodding toward a table in the Pavilion Auditorium, Goldstein pointed out Childress received designation as a Level IV center, a step below Northwest's designation, through the intervention of then-Gov. George W. Bush. "We ain't the only one," Goldstein said. And as Goldstein gave way to Dove at the podium, the clarifications continued. Dove, reminding the council members that they had designated Northwest as the area's lead trauma center 10 years ago in December, reiterated that Northwest wasn't rolling over just because BSA had pirated his ER staff physicians. Earlier in the week, Northwest had signed an agreement with a Dallas-based company, EmCare, to provide physicians when the current staff of 12 moves to BSA in May. (See related story.) "We have no intention of this trauma center going away," Dove said, explaining that the ER will continue to work to meet the needs of the region. Only a vote of the council can change the designation of the area's lead trauma center. In a separate interview, Goldstein said Northwest provided PEMSS's original infrastructure when Northwest was a non-profit and got a grant to put the EMS system in place. Since then, the hospital has become part of Universal Health Services and has spent money to maintain the radio system and other infrastructure. Northwest still provides the bulk of financial support for the EMS system. Then, Goldstein said, there is the question of who would provide the medical control of the general EMS system. "The EMS services throughout the Panhandle were very concerned because the physician that does that now is one of the Amarillo Emergency Physician group that's going to BSA," he said. "And BSA isn't currently a member of the Panhandle Emergency Services Center." S. Carl Paetzold is the medical adviser and control for PEMSS, but can he continue? Not likely. PEMSS is operated by Northwest so the answer is likely BSA wouldn't let him continue even if Northwest and Paetzold wanted to. With him working at BSA, Goldstein said, "We may not want him to." Northwest indicated to PEMSS that the hospital will get a medical director for the EMS services throughout the Panhandle. "And they are worried because they know Dr. Paetzold and because they like Dr. Paetzold." And while BSA's plans have garnered the most public attention, Dove said Northwest is aligning its delivery of emergency room and surgery services with emerging national standards for acute care surgery and trauma surgery. Without going into detail, Dove did say that Northwest and Texas Tech School of Medicine have agreed for Tech to provide trauma surgery services. — George Schwarz contributed to this report. E-mail
comments about this story Posted: April 3, 2008
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