Kaiser Permanente reaffirmed as the best choice for
HIGH-QUALITY LEVEL II TRAUMA SERVICES
at South Sacramento Medical Center

The growth in Elk Grove and the south Sacramento area has been tremendous. Our robust community needs and deserves all the services required for a quality life. This includes critical emergency and trauma care services.

Our ability to provide advanced life-saving care was recognized in an independent evaluation by experts in the American College of Surgeons' standards and by Sacramento County's Department of Health and Human Services. They found our South Sacramento Medical Center to be the best choice for a new trauma center, which will open in the spring of 2009. That recommendation was reaffirmed in August by an independent trauma and emergency medical services consulting firm hired by the county. The firm applauded the county and review committee's thorough screening and review process and stated that Kaiser Permanente was "properly nominated" for the trauma center based upon its preparedness and commitment, among other factors. The review found that a protest filed by Methodist Hospital was "without merit."

Since opening our medical center in 1984, we have expanded and developed services that allow us to provide high quality trauma and follow-up care. We now have a comprehensive team of physician specialists who are ready to provide life-saving care—up to two years before any other hospital in south Sacramento County.

As a community hospital, our emergency services are open to everyone—whether or not they are Kaiser Permanente members, and whether or not they have insurance. About 20 percent of our emergency patients currently are non-Kaiser Permanente members and many are covered by Medi-Cal. We welcome the opportunity to further our mission of improving the health of the community by providing trauma care to you and your loved ones.

The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to review the recommendation and designate a trauma center in November.

Sincerely,