Victims of Southwest Houston Shooting Brought to the Texas Medical Center for Care
Houston residents woke up Monday morning to news of an active shooter on Weslayan and Bissonnet in the Southwest area of Houston.
Multiple news sources have confirmed that 20 to 30 shots were fired and six individuals were shot and injured. An additional three people were injured but did not sustain gunshot wounds. The shooter died at the scene after exchanging gunfire with police.
All six gunshot victims have been taken to the Texas Medical Center.
One has been received by Ben Taub Hospital and listed in serious condition by the Houston Police Department. The trauma care offered by Ben Taub was pioneered by the late Michael E. DeBakey, M.D., and has been continued by Kenneth L. Mattox, Ben Taub Chief of Staff and the entire Ben Taub team. This 486 licensed-bed hospital houses the Ginni and Richard Mithoff Trauma Center, which cares for more than 100,000 emergency patients each year and is known to save the lives of some of the most critically injured.
The other five victims were sent to Memorial Hermann Red Duke Trauma Institute and Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital. Three are in good condition, one is in fair condition and one is in critical condition, according to a statement released by the hospital.
Memorial Hermann has an established reputation as a leader in trauma care in the Houston region. Memorial Hermann Red Duke Trauma Institute offers an elite trauma care team of highly trained surgeons, physicians, nursing staff and other care providers. The Institute, which is the busiest trauma center in the country, is capable of delivering comprehensive, life-saving services for both adult and pediatric patients.
As part of the world’s largest medical center, Ben Taub and Memorial Hermann Hospital are the only Level I trauma care centers in the Houston.
According to the American Trauma Society, a hospital designated a Level I trauma center must meet the following criteria.
- 24-hour in-house coverage by general surgeons, and prompt availability of care in specialties such as orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, anesthesiology, emergency medicine, radiology, internal medicine, plastic surgery, oral and maxillofacial, pediatric and critical care.
- Referral resource for communities in nearby regions.
- Provides leadership in prevention, public education to surrounding communities.
- Provides continuing education of the trauma team members.
- Incorporates a comprehensive quality assessment program.
- Operates an organized teaching and research effort to help direct new innovations in trauma care.
- Program for substance abuse screening and patient intervention. Meets minimum requirement for annual volume of severely injured patients.
Recently, two additional Memorial Hermann hospitals upgraded their services and infrastructure to help bolster Houston’s ability to provide urgent medical care for those who are critically ill or injured. Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Hospital began providing services as a Level II trauma center on March 1 and Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital will begin providing services as a Level II trauma center in the spring of 2017.
