Level II Trauma Center

• Locations

• Physicians

• Statistics

• Services

• Prevention Programs

In 2001, Kern Medical became a state-designated Level II Trauma Center. The catchment area for Kern Medical spans Kern County serving approximately 1 million people. The Kern County Trauma System has recently expanded with the designation of Ridgecrest as a Level IV Trauma Center in 2016, of which Kern Medical served as a strong collaborator with their designation. Our local Emergency Medical System (EMS) is also very active in trauma quality monitoring, education, and policy development as they relate to Kern County and state-wide trauma activity. The enhancement of EMS prehospital trauma care, including field triage criteria, is directly proportional to our increase in trauma activity over the last few years.

Kern Medical Trauma Center Statistics

In 2017, we had over 3,000 trauma patients (the Kern County population is 884,788 residents). Our census increase over the last 5 years averages 10% increase per year (Statistics from Kern Medical 2018 Annual Trauma Program Report).

Trauma Services Offered at Kern Medical

• 24-hour in-house coverage for Trauma Surgeons
• Emergency Medicine Physicians
• Trauma Surgery
• Neurosurgery
• Plastic Surgery
• General Surgery
• Urology
• Vascular Surgery
• Orthopedic Surgery
• Anesthesiology

Trauma Prevention Programs at Kern Medical

Safe Streets

Since 2014, we have educated over 4,000 high school students in Kern County. We provide education regarding pedestrian safety, bicycle safety, and driving safety while highlighting the dangers of distracted driving. The feedback from the teachers and students has been great, and Kern Medical has seen an 8% decrease in pedestrian injuries from 2016 to 2017.

Stop the Bleed Campaign

Stop the Bleed is a national awareness campaign and call to action to educate people on hemorrhage control. We have provided the course to over 2,000 high school students across Kern County. Additionally, we have provided the course to Kern High School District athletic trainers and health teachers.

We have also provided education to our partners in Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and we will continue to work with them to disseminate education across the county.