Trauma Services

The emergency services team at Fisher-Titus Medical Center provides expert care for seriously injured patients in Norwalk and the surrounding areas. In partnership with The MetroHealth System in Cleveland, our dedicated staff provides 24/7 emergency services at our Level III Trauma Center to ensure patients receive quality care when they need it most.

A Higher Level of Trauma Care

Fisher-Titus is a Level III Trauma Center, a designation which was earned and maintained since 2009. As a Level III Trauma Center, surgical specialists are available 24 hours a day to provide comprehensive care to patients with traumatic injuries. As part of the partnership, the MetroHealth team which includes surgeons, advanced practice providers, and operational leadership, manage the trauma program at Fisher-Titus.  The trauma team works collaboratively with all members of the Fisher Titus multi-disciplinary team to ensure you receive the best care possible for your injuries.  If possible, we provide your care locally; if higher level care is warranted, we ensure transfer to an appropriate center equipped to care for the complexity of your injuries.

MetroHealth serves as the Medical Direction of Fisher-Titus’ North Central EMS service, a 911 and EMS transport service in Huron and surrounding counties. In this role, MetroHealth continuously implements and evaluates field practice protocols to ensure best patient care and outcomes.  This includes providing quality review of the EMS program, as well as continued education to EMS, tire, and hospital personnel in the Northeast Ohio Region. 

In addition, Metro Life Flight provides ground critical care transportation for the region. The Metro Life Flight ground critical care ambulance is staffed by MetroHealth critical care crews, and provides services to Huron County and local hospitals.

Level III trauma centers can provide a variety of services, including, but not limited to:

• Trauma Resuscitation.
• Stabilization of Injuries.
• Prompt assessment and treatment of injuries.
• Arranging Possible Transport to a Higher-level Trauma Facility should your care require specialist services not available at a Level III trauma center.

What is a Trauma Center?

A trauma center is a hospital which has the immediate availability of emergency physicians, general surgeons, orthopedic surgeons, radiologists, physician specialists, anesthesiologists, nurses, respiratory therapists, radiology technicians, and therapy specialties to provide multi-disciplinary trauma care.  Such centers are also furnished with resuscitation and life support equipment, as well as have 24-hour access to operating rooms to care for severely injured patients.

The American Trauma Society describes the five levels as:

• Level I: The center provides total care, from prevention through rehabilitation. These also offer a teaching program for medical residents, as well as ongoing research.
• Level II: The center is similar to a Level I trauma center but doesn’t necessarily offer teaching or research. Both Levels I and II can treat either children or adults.
• Level III: The center is smaller than Level I and II centers but can provide prompt care to injured patients. May injuries can be safely cared for locally; however, certain injuries require a higher level of care and specialist to ensure best patient outcomes.
• Level IV: The center can provide trauma care and life support before patients are transferred to a larger, higher-level trauma center.

What to Bring for an Emergency Visit?

Emergencies happen why you least expect it. Keeping a medical emergency binder with your medications allows you to quickly gather important medical information quickly. Your binder should include the following:

• List of medications - names and dosages. In particular, names of blood thinning medications.
• List of allergies and medical conditions.
• List of past surgeries.
• Name and contact information for your emergency contact person.
• Advanced directives.
• Name and contact information for your primary care physician.