Delta, CO (May 24, 2022) – Delta Health hosted the 12th Annual Western Slope Trauma Conference at the beginning of May and provided vital knowledge and skills for emergency service providers in Colorado.
The conference was held over two days and brought educational topics to rural providers. The first day focused on Emergency Medical Service (EMS) providers and the second day is focused on inpatient providers such as Doctors, Nurses, Techs and Surgeons.
“This year’s conference went great,” said Kayleigh Wright, RN, BSN, TCRN, Trauma Nurse Coordinator for Delta Health. “We had roughly 50 total participants and 14 different speakers, four of which were from large hospitals on the front range of Colorado, and the others ranging from Grand Junction, Telluride, Gunnison and even Delta Health providers. People even attended from as far away as Cortez, Colorado.”
One of the training events that took place was a mock casualty airplane crash with two hands-on stations that consisted of one high-fidelity SIM mannequin brought from the Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children. This allowed EMS providers to work on a mock trauma/code scenario on a child with a burn.
“This year’s conference enhanced the ability of both EMS responders and emergency departments to respond to a mass casualty incident and give timely and appropriate care of seriously injured patients,” said Daniel Barela, NR-P, BAS, and Executive Director of the Western Regional EMS and Trauma Advisory Council. “It was a welcome opportunity for people from different agencies and communities to learn together and from one another. The hands-on training is particularly important to keep caregivers confident in their skills.”
The second station included an area where attendees were able to work on the scene of the mock airplane crash with multiple casualties and injuries. The cut suit allowed for a simulation of actual injuries on patients including uncontrolled bleeds, an unstable pelvis fracture and more. The participants were able to physically practice these skills to control these life-threatening injuries; making them more prepared in the case of an actual emergency.
It is important that the Delta Health Trauma Program can host this locally to give providers within the region an opportunity to come to a conference, in person, that is relatively close.
“This conference is important because it is a valuable tool to be reminded of the things we have learned about caring for trauma patients and patients in general,” said Cindy Owen, North Fork Ambulance paramedic and Delta Health Respiratory Therapist Tech. “I learned more about triage and how to respond to a mass casualty incident this year. It was also beneficial to be taught by experienced doctors, paramedics and nurses and to be able to ask them questions. It was very well done and I look forward to attending them in the future!”
Hosting the conference at Delta Health allows providers to gain specific knowledge on topics that providers may experience while working at Delta Health. It also provides greater access to providers that live and work in rural areas and provides some of the same resources that are provided at larger facilities.
“I would like to thank all of those who came and supported our conference as well as those who gave recommendations on topics they would like to hear in the future,” said Wright. “I look forward to hosting more amazing trauma conferences in the years to come.”
To learn more about the Emergency and Trauma services available at Delta Health, visit deltahealthco.org/emergency-services/ or call 970.874.2425.
