A couple of hospitals on I-630 made the news the other day. The "new" in the news was UAMS receiving national recognition for its trauma unit. The American College of Surgeons has now deemed the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences a Level 1 trauma center. It joins Arkansas Children's Hospital, which already has that distinction, but for pediatric trauma.
Dispatches say central Arkansas needs this. We all need this. For more and more trauma patients are wheeled through the doors of those hospitals every day. And with worse injuries. If you need more detail, see the stories in the papers about all the car wrecks and shootings in central Arkansas. Somebody has to put these people back together. (If they can be.)
How does a hospital get such an honor? Folks at the College of Surgeons verify leadership in education, the research departments, system planning and other care from prevention efforts to rehabilitation. And for those of us who recently have had loved ones in rehab over at UAMS (and, yes, Baptist), we can testify. With our hands raised and Amens on our lips. Testify!
We long ago ran out of superlatives to describe the doctors and nurses--or should that be nurses and doctors?--at these hospitals and rehab centers. These people aren't doing jobs. They're answering a calling. Like any other teacher or member of the clergy. Tip-toeing in at 3 a.m. to check a temperature without waking either patient or the person sleeping on the sofa. Reading machines that look like airplane cockpit controls--and the most complicated ones at that. And at the same time, acting as a therapist for family. And pulling all-nighters while your own family sleeps at home.
Who are these people? And can heaven really have enough special places?
UAMS now gets a distinction and maybe a plaque for the wall. But those of us who've been served by the people on that campus, we need no national board to tell us these things. Folks in the church call theirs a Christian Witness. That is, providing an example by simply living your life.
The nurses and doctors at UAMS provide something similar through their vocation/craft/calling. That they've been recognized on a national level is wonderful. But folks in central Arkansas knew this all along.
Editorial on 05/06/2017