The city of Florence now boasts Italy’s first medical facility dedicated specifically to pediatric trauma care. The Meyer Pediatric Trauma Centre, which started as a pilot project, was officially inaugurated in late June.
The facility’s physicians will provide emergency treatment for medical, surgical, orthopedic and multiple-trauma patients. In addition to emergency care for children and youth, it will coordinate inpatient care units in hospitals and other medical facilities throughout the region.
It took seven years to make the Meyer Pediatric Trauma Centre, which is modeled on American emergency pediatric facilities, a reality. The idea to build a pediatric trauma center and regional pediatric trauma referral system gave rise to a unique partnership involving the Meyer Pediatric Hospital, the University of Florence School of Medicine, the Children’s Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School and HealthONE Leading Hospitals of Denver. Over 750 medical practitioners from around the region underwent two years of training alongside American colleagues.
The facility fulfills a clear need: according to hospital statistics, in 2009, between March 1 and June 15, 786 pediatric patients received emergency medical care at the Meyer Hospital.
