ACCESS TO TRAUMA CARE IN WS, NC: AN ANALYSIS OF TRAUMA DESERTS AND THE EFFECTS OF HIGHWAY CLOSURE

ABSTRACT

Care of injured patients at trauma centers is associated with improved outcomes, but these centers are not evenly distributed. This project seeks to study how access to trauma care in Winston-Salem is affected based on distance from a trauma center by using data from the trauma registry at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. Specific goals are to identify which areas in our community are trauma deserts as defined by their geographic distance from a Level 1 Trauma Center and to examine the impact of the Interstate 40 Business (now Salem Parkway) closure on access to trauma care.