Essentia Health-Fosston recertified as Level 4 trauma center

FOSSTON — Essentia Health announced Thursday, Sept. 11, its team in Fosston recertified the hospital as a Level 4 Trauma Center.

Fosston was a Level 4 trauma center until 2019, when Essentia withdrew its application to the state to maintain the designation, according to Essentia and confirmed by the Minnesota Department of Health. An Essentia spokesperson said they had decided to withdraw the application because of the program’s “specific administrative requirements.”

“We are incredibly proud to be re-designated as a Level IV trauma hospital,” stated Fosston hospital Administrator Mike Curtis in a news release. “We want our community to know that their local hospital is equipped to provide this critical care and is part of a larger network of skilled facilities across Minnesota."

Minnesota’s statewide trauma system is a network of hospitals that voluntarily participate by attaining a designation from 1 through 4. Level 1s have the greatest number of resources, while Level 4s have the fewest. The designation level reflects resource capabilities, not quality of care, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.

Ambulance services can then match the needs of seriously injured patients with the hospital’s capabilities.

For a severely injured person, the time between suffering the injury and receiving definitive care is the most important predictor of survival, according to the release, and a trauma system enhances the chance for survival, no matter proximity to an urban trauma hospital. Ninety-eight percent of Minnesotans live within an hour drive of a trauma center, with most who don’t living in Northern Minnesota.

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Minnesota Department of Health

"Injury is the leading cause of premature death in Minnesota,” stated Minnesota Commissioner of Health Dr. Brooke Cunningham. “The goal of the trauma system is to decrease injured patients’ time to care by making sure their medical needs are appropriately matched with hospital resources.

"With the designation of Essentia Health-Fosston as a Level IV Trauma Hospital, we are getting closer to our goal of ensuring that seriously injured Minnesotans have access to an organized system of trauma care wherever they are in the state.”

For the designation, Essentia Health-Fosston underwent an independent review of the hospital’s resources and capabilities and also met standards for clinical and equipment resources and staff training.

“This re-designation reflects our team’s dedication to providing exceptional care,” stated Stephanie McKnight, nursing director at Essentia Health-Fosston. “It demonstrates to our pre-hospital partners and community that our emergency department is prepared to care for patients with serious injuries.

"The nurses and providers have maintained trauma training for many years, and over the last two years, we have been actively working on re-designation. This recognition validates the hard work we’ve put in to ensuring high-quality care close to home.”

The trauma designation is valid for three years.