Within weeks, North County’s DePaul Hospital will be ending its Level II trauma services. That news is spreading in St. Louis: 38% of adults surveyed this week heard about the change in service, up 68% from the prior week.
SSM Health announced that on September 10th it will end Level II trauma services at DePaul Hospital due to a low number of trauma patients (St. Louis Post-Dispatch). The hospital’s classification as a Level I trauma center for treating conditions like heart attacks will continue.
Although SSM made this announcement on July 20, more people may be hearing about it this past week due to other recent hospital closures (e.g., South City Hospital and rural Missouri hospitals). Hospital closures in the region have raised concerns about reduced healthcare access and widening health inequity (Journal of Health Service Research).
Level II trauma services involve a higher level of service provision and availability such as faster response time and more trauma surgeon qualifications compared to Level I services (American Trauma Society). SSM Health plans to work closely with local providers during the transition.
This week’s report is based on 158 responses from a panel of adult residents of St. Louis City and County surveyed from Saturday, August 5, to Monday, August 7, 2023.
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DePaul Hospital will end Level II trauma services on September 10th due to a low number of trauma patients. The hospital will continue Level I trauma care for treating conditions like heart attacks and strokes.
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