OakBend Saving Lives with Fort Bend’s Only Advanced Trauma Center

Ian Cock, pilot; Chris Dubois, EMTP, FP-C and Walter Morrow, CFRN, FP-C. Photo by Mary Favre.

Ian Cock, pilot; Chris Dubois, EMTP, FP-C
and Walter Morrow, CFRN, FP-C. Photo by Mary Favre.

COVER STORY | By M.G. Angulo-

Would you or your family know what to do or where to go if you were involved in a traumatic event? It may not seem important now, but that decision could be a life changer.

When you experience a catastrophic injury and seconds count, there is no time to debate where to go for the best emergency care. You need to go to the only Advanced Trauma Center in Fort Bend County: OakBend Medical Center’s Emergency Room at its Jackson Street Campus in Richmond.

“OakBend has the only Level III Trauma Center certified by the State of Texas, otherwise known as an Advanced Trauma Center, in Fort Bend County,” said Cindy Johnson, Assistant Vice President at OakBend. “Having an Advanced Trauma Center means our community gets certified, high quality trauma care within seconds and close to their family and friends, who are vitally important to their speedy recovery.”

What an Advanced Trauma Center Offers

Cindy Johnson.

Cindy Johnson.

To earn certification as an Advanced Trauma Center, a hospital must meet an extensive list of requirements that include: prompt availability of surgeons and anesthesiologists for trauma patients; nursing staff with multiple certifications in trauma care; commitment to providing the public safety education and injury prevention information; an active outreach program for its referring communities; and continuing education of the nursing and trauma team.

Additionally, the hospital must develop transfer agreements for patients requiring more comprehensive care at a Level I or Level II trauma center. In a nutshell, OakBend’s Jackson Street Campus has the resources for emergency resuscitation, surgery and intensive care for trauma patients. And for patients who need a higher level of care, OakBend can quickly transport them to Level I and Level II trauma centers using the hospital’s permanently based air ambulance – PHI Air Medical.

ER Tech Muaz Waqialla and ER Nurse Donna Jameson providing care to Jake Freudenberger at the Jackson Street Emergency Room.

ER Tech Muaz Waqialla and ER Nurse Donna Jameson providing care to Jake Freudenberger at the Jackson Street Emergency Room.

“If a patient requires a higher level of care, we can transport them without having to wait for an air ambulance to arrive from another location, saving vital minutes in the care of the patient,” Johnson said.

“We have transferred patients to Houston and to Dallas, depending on their needs,” said OakBend ER Medical Director Dr. Chinh Pham, who is board certified in Emergency Medicine and Family Medicine with bachelor degrees in Biology and Chemistry. “But we take care of most of the trauma in Fort Bend County.”

Depending on the time of day, there are two board certified physicians, two nurse practitioners, five nurses and three emergency room (ER) techs onsite, in addition to support staff from radiology, respiratory, laboratory, housekeeping, pharmacy and other departments as needed. The center also has neurologists, surgeons and operating room teams on call 24/7, and it also provides care for pediatric trauma.

Being an Advanced Trauma Center is more than a title, Dr. Pham said. It is a promise to the public that in an emergency, OakBend is prepared to provide the best quality care around. “If you have a serious injury, one that is life changing or can result in death, from head injuries and motor vehicle accidents to fractures and sports injuries, the staff here has the knowledge and skill to take care of you.”

Primary Stroke Care

Chris King, Crystal Lewis, Shana Parikh, Cheryl Williams, Darlene Holmes, Stevi Ahearn, B.J. Patel, Jeff and Ann Council, Sue McCarty, Rachel Castillo, Katy Lea Todd, Dr. Amitabh Shukla, Joe Freudenberger and Cindy Johnson celebrating OakBend’s Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award.

Chris King, Crystal Lewis, Shana Parikh, Cheryl Williams, Darlene Holmes, Stevi Ahearn, B.J. Patel, Jeff and Ann Council, Sue McCarty, Rachel Castillo, Katy Lea Todd, Dr. Amitabh Shukla, Joe Freudenberger and Cindy Johnson celebrating OakBend’s Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award.

With stroke being the fifth largest cause of death and the leading cause of adult disability in the United States, OakBend’s Jackson Street and Williams Way campuses  are also designated as Primary Stroke Centers by the Joint Commission and have received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. “We are a primary stroke center, which requires a separate accreditation process from the trauma designation process,” Johnson said.

By participating in the “Get With the Guidelines” program, OakBend Medical Center was reviewed for 12 consecutive months and maintained a performance level of following key measures in treatment guidelines for at least 85 percent of the time. “We all know that OakBend is a great stroke hospital to have, especially in the growing community of Fort Bend,” said Rachel Castillo, Development Specialist with the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. “We greatly appreciate OakBend’s help with educating the community on stroke awareness.”

“We are very proud that we can also deliver this service to the community,” Johnson said, adding that 2016 marks the eighth consecutive year the hospitals have been given the Gold award and seventh consecutive year to receive the Gold Plus award. “This program is in place for patients who are having a stroke so that we can administer care as quickly as possible to improve their outcomes. For patients out in the community, having a program like this close to home gets them that critical stroke care much sooner.”

Caring for the Community

As the largest and most historic campus of OakBend Medical Center, the Jackson Street Campus is an ideal location for the Advanced Trauma Center. Dr. Pham said he is proud that OakBend has the ability to serve the needs of the community in so many different ways. “OakBend is known for providing a number of different specialties, and we take care of this community through that collage of specialties.”

For the past six years, Dr. Pham has ensured that all protocols and procedures are carried out as they should as the Emergency Department Medical Director, but one of his most important duties is to ensure that patient satisfaction remains high. “We are very confident in our abilities to care for trauma patients,” he said. “Patient satisfaction is very important to us.”

That high satisfaction is reached through a smooth and prompt process, which results in better patient outcomes. When a patient enters the Trauma Center, they are taken to one of three specially equipped trauma rooms where they are cared for by emergency, board certified physician staff and specially trained nurses who are TNCC certified – meaning they have been trained in the Trauma Nurse Core Course, a special course for trauma care and trauma centers.

“Care happens immediately to stabilize these patients and determine which specialist is needed for any treatment,” Johnson said. And in the event the patient needs Level I care, like treatment for major burns or multiple organ failure, they are transferred via the hospital’s onsite PHI Air Medical.


OakBend’s Jackson Street Campus is located at 1705 Jackson Street in Richmond.
For more information, visit www.oakbendmedcenter.org.


No Wait ER
Dr. Chinh Pham.

Dr. Chinh Pham.

Since research shows that reduced ER throughput times improve outcomes, OakBend is diligent with its No Wait ER.

Standard ER protocol indicated that medical personnel registered the patient and determined what kind of attention the patient needed before directing the patient where to go. Chief Executive Officer Joe Freudenberger took it upon himself to lead the ER Throughput Committee to improve patient outcomes by implementing a No Wait ER process. This committee was formed to review the processes and protocols of all departments involved in an ER patient’s visit to ensure efficient and effective care. Now if you ever have to visit the OakBend ER, you will never see people waiting for care that can save their lives.

300-emergency“Having a No Wait ER means that no patient waits in the waiting room,” Johnson said. “The patient is registered and immediately taken to an ER treatment room. The overall goal is to get a patient through the ER as quickly as possible. Eliminating the waiting room saves 45 minutes to an hour on average, and the concept continues during treatment with processes designed to reduce time for lab tests, radiology tests and other treatments including expediently admitting a patient for an overnight stay.”

“As soon as a patient comes in, the clock starts ticking,” said Dr. Pham. “Although each emergency visit is different, we strive to get the patient in, treated and out of the ER within a two-hour window.”