Pediatric Trauma
The first - and only - pediatric trauma center in Lubbock and the region
When your child experiences trauma, Covenant Children's should be your only choice. We are verified by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) as a Level II pediatric trauma center.
Each year, we see more than 450 pediatric trauma encounters. Our specialists, which include pediatric trauma surgeons, pediatric orthopedic surgeons and pediatric neurosurgery physicians are on call to respond immediately to any trauma needs.
Pediatric trauma patients arrive through our dedicated pediatric emergency department – the first in the region and the region's only dedicated pediatric ED for more than 10 years. When a trauma meets certain criteria for a trauma activation, a full team of specialists will be mobilized to ensure you child receives the care they need.
In order to be verified as a pediatric trauma center, Covenant Children's had to meet the requirements in the Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient manual and undergo an on-site survey, conducted by a team of reviewers experienced in the field of trauma. Established by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) in 1987, the Consultation/Verification Program for Hospitals promotes the development of trauma centers in which participants provide not only the hospital resources necessary for trauma care, but also the entire spectrum of care to address the needs of all injured patients – from prehospital phase through the rehabilitation process.
We proudly participate in the Pediatric Trauma Quality Improvement Program (TQIP). The American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACS COT) has been dedicated to improving the quality of care for injured patients for more than 80 years. Since 2016, the Trauma Quality Improvement Program (TQIP) has continued this focus on improving quality care by providing validated, risk-adjusted benchmarking for Pediatric trauma centers. The risk-adjusted data, combined with training and collaboration with other TQIP participants, allows TQIP participants to track outcomes and improve patient care.
In 2019, we also made significant investment in our pediatric surgical program by participating in the American College of Surgeons Pediatric National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS Pediatric NSQIP®). Through our Pediatric NSQIP participation we collect highly-reliable clinical data that allows us to compare our surgical outcomes with the outcomes of other participants in the program. This ensures we provide care on par with the other major children's hospitals across the United States.
We are the only Pediatric NSQIP participating facility in our Region. We participate because providing the best possible care your child matters. It matters to us and we know it certainly matters to you.
As leaders in pediatric care within the West Texas/Panhandle Plains and Eastern New Mexico regions, Covenant Children's is proud to offer numerous training and education opportunities for providers and facilities in our region. For example, we provide Trauma Nursing Core Course (TNCC), ENPC (Emergency Nursing Pediatric Course), Neonatal Resuscitation Protocol (NRP), Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) courses, among many others.
View Current Education Opportunities
We also partner with regional facilities by providing Pedi ED Readiness Assessments, based on national standards, whereby we help evaluate facilities readiness to care for pediatric emergencies. This includes ensuring the facility has appropriate equipment, supplies, policies and procedures, training, etc. Research shows that hospitals that score higher on readiness assessment tools have significantly (~4x) lower mortality than hospitals scoring at the lowest quartile.
Our Specialty Pediatric Transport Team is ready to to transport children who sustain a traumatic injury, are born prematurely or suffering from respiratory distress.
Seconds and minutes can make a real difference in children and hosting the region's only pediatric transport team is a natural extension of our commitment to providing the highest quality of pediatric care.