Client News
NWF Daily News: LETTER- Quality local care
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Dr. Tama Van Decar’s guest column, “Lack of a trauma center is a life-or-death issue” (March 7), was spot on. We desperately need a trauma center in Okaloosa County or Walton County. As the city manager of Fort Walton Beach, I can think of few other services more important than access to quality trauma care in times of crisis.
Today, only two of five trauma patients receive care in a trauma center in Florida. The nearly quarter-million citizens in Okaloosa and Walton counties should not contribute to this statistic due to total lack of access.
Our citizens and visitors need a trauma facility with a staff that is prepared and available to treat victims with serious injuries at a moment’s notice. When minutes can be the difference between life and death, 50 miles to the nearest trauma facility is unacceptable.
I hope the state Department of Health takes our citizens, and those of Florida as a whole, into consideration during its review of the rule under which it allocates trauma centers, because every Floridian deserves quality local trauma care.
— MICHAEL BEEDIE
City Manager
Fort Walton Beach