Victims of the recent high school shooting in Marysville, Wash., were transported first to a local hospital, not the region’s top-level trauma center, according to a Seattle Times report. Trauma care leaders in Washington state are questioning the decision, and system leaders are seeking debriefings.
Harborview Medical Center in Seattle is a verified Level I trauma center for both adult and pediatric patients. Following the October 24 shooting, however, injured students were transported by ground ambulance to nearby Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, Wash, according to the news report. Providence is a designated Level II adult trauma center, but only a Level III pediatric facility.
According to the Seattle Times, three of four helicopters dispatched to Marysville were turned back. One victim was eventually transferred to Harborview by helicopter and another by ground ambulance. Read More