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Chester Country residents haven’t always been without a trauma center.

Brandywine Hospital, in Caln Township, was a Level II trauma center until mid-2002. The trauma center closed for financial reasons, driven in large part by skyrocketing malpractice insurance costs for trauma physicians and the lack of reimbursements for uninsured patients. Southeastern Pennsylvania’s other trauma centers also face financial challenges, but were established years ago under different fiscal circumstances, and the extraordinary costs associated with maintaining 24/7 trauma readiness have been built into those institutions’ cost structures.

No single hospital in Chester County can afford to simply absorb the additional required operating costs of a trauma center. And public and private health insurance payments made on behalf of individual trauma patients are not sufficient to sustain a financially viable trauma center, particularly considering the cost of treating uninsured trauma patients. It is extremely costly to maintain 24/7 specialty physician coverage and other intensive resources, and it would not be possible to maintain a financially viable trauma center without some form of public support. That means ongoing public or private subsidies would be necessary if a trauma center were to be re-established in Chester County

Without dedicated funding to support the ongoing operations of a trauma center, a hospital would be forced to reduce other needed community services or jeopardize the long-term financial viability of the institution. Residents must determine whether the potential benefits of a trauma center would outweigh the costs of maintaining this service.

A dedicated Task Force has been charged with gauging the opinion of Chester County residents on this matter before making any decisions about moving forward with funding recommendations or other steps to re-establish a trauma center.

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