Last month, the PennSTAR and Penn Trauma teams came together to recognize the work of their colleagues and celebrate an incredible milestone: 30 years of collaborative care for critically ill and injured patients. Key program leaders Edward Dickinson, MD, director of EMS Field Operations and medical director of HUP’s ED, Jacob Gutsche, MD, co-medical director of the Penn Lung Rescue Program, and Robert Higgins, RN, MBA, NREMT-P, program director of PennSTAR, took the opportunity to underscore just how far these programs have come – both literally (approximately 4.5 million rotor miles) and in terms of growth.
Since its inception, PennSTAR has transported more than 62,900 patients and has consistently been an extremely valuable resource for the region, as well as a leader in the industry. For example, in the 1980s, the program was the first to utilize fire-resistant flight suits and helmets, and they were among the first to adopt night vision goggles in the early 2000s. The safety of the crew and patients remains the top priority, and PennSTAR is proud to maintain a perfect safety record.
Penn’s Trauma program has also transformed since its humble HUP beginnings in 1987 when it was launched by C. William Schwab, MD, emeritus professor of Trauma Surgery. Now located in PPMC, our Level I Trauma Center has one of the highest rates of patient transfers in the region and treats nearly 2,600 patients each year with a 97 percent survival rate. The Penn Trauma team is also involved in outreach work, such as training community members basic bleeding control skills.
As the celebration began to wind down, Patrick M. Reilly, MD, chief of Traumatology, Surgical Critical Care and Emergency Surgery, noted, “No recognition of our programs would be complete without mentioning the real reason they exist – the patients we serve.” Next he introduced patient and survivor Geralyn Ritter.
Ritter had been a passenger on the Amtrak train that derailed in North Philadelphia back in 2015, and while she received excellent care at Aria Frankford Hospital – “delivered in part by a surgery resident who had recently completed a rotation on PPMC’s Trauma program,” Reilly added – her condition prompted a to transfer to PPMC’s trauma bay via PennSTAR. After nearly three weeks at Presby and multiple surgeries, Ritter was discharged to a rehab facility closer to her New Jersey home, but she didn’t forget her Penn experience.
“As she recovered, Geralyn shared her story with our leadership team, and her feedback highlighted opportunities to improve the patient and family experience,” Reilly said. “It’s often said that we have a lot to learn from our patients, and in Geralyn’s case, she was an active, rather than passive, teacher. We are so grateful to her and her family for helping to steer us in the right direction as we continue to evolve Penn Trauma.”