How OU Health trauma teams prepare for injuries from severe weather

Severe weather carries the potential for injuries. Metro hospitals prepare to care for as many people as possible. The director of OU Health’s top trauma center must stay one step ahead of Mother Nature.

Oklahoma City healthcare system backups and redundancies 

OU Health builds backup plans in layers to ensure that they have options for any failures in the system. OU Health has a team of backup surgeons, doctors, and nurses who are on call to fill roles as they need them. 

The trauma team also works with Metro law enforcement to get staff to the hospital if they need it. OU Health trauma center director Dr. Alisa Cross said knowledge and depth produce a team with high expectations.  

“I always talk about strength of the bench,” Cross said. “The Thunder has a great bench – great key role players, and we do too. I’m very proud of that. I think we have an amazing team here.” 

Depth within staffing and on-call medical teams 

According to OU Health’s website, its level one trauma center team includes, 

10 Trauma Surgeons: All double board-certified in general surgery and surgical critical care. 

4 Fellowship-Trained Orthopedic Trauma Surgeons: Experts in managing complex orthopedic injuries. 

Multiple Neurosurgeons: Available 24/7 to address critical neurological trauma. 

4 Interventional Radiologists: Specialists in stopping internal bleeding without the need for open surgery. 

Over 70 Specialized Nurses: Rigorously trained in trauma care. 

Dedicated Trauma Anesthesiologists and Facial Trauma Specialists: Ensuring specialized care for all trauma-related needs. 

Full Burn Care Team: Expertise in treating both minor and severe burn injuries. 

20 Advanced Practice Providers: Physician extenders focused solely on trauma care. 

Additional Specialists: Including 2 orthopedic specialists, 1 geriatric trauma specialist, and 1 rehab medicine specialist. 

Regional Medical Response System alerts medical facilities of mass trauma potential 

Regional Medical Response System sends out alerts to keep everyone informed. Severe weather is and Oklahoma’s brand identity, and they prepare year-round. 

“We know how many patients are coming in,” Cross said. “We have backups and redundancy in our system that allows us to care for a number of patients. We may need to call in teams and backup to help take care of patients.” 

Last year, OU Health treated 9,000 trauma patients. Cross said their routine care prepares them for more widespread events like severe storms. 

“It makes you nervous, it makes you heightened, but it also makes you better at your job,” Cross said. 

Experience with mass metro storm destruction 

Tuesday (May 13) marks 12 years since an EF-5 tornado tore through Moore, injuring hundreds and killing 24. OU Health's trauma center received 91 injured patients in less than three hours. More than 50 surgeons and more than 100 nurses kept operating rooms running, proving OU Health could meet the need. 

“Any event that stresses your system gives you some knowledge that you might not have had before,” Cross said. 

Cross-credited hospitals outside the metro that care for patients with fewer resources. 

“We are very lucky and that we have all the resources we need,” Cross said. “Some of the rural hospitals that are dealing with some of these terrible tornado victims initially are doing so with minimal resources.” 

Cross said the state’s team of hospitals ensures everyone is taken care of in time. 

“That’s the most important thing,” Cross said.