Do trauma patients have to be transported to a trauma center?
Patients who meet the trauma triage guidelines must be transported to an appropriate trauma center regardless of a patient’s desire to be transported to another facility. Patients 16 years of age or older should be transported to the Erie County Medical Center while patients under 16 years of age should be transported to Children’s Hospital of Buffalo. If there is any doubt as to which facility a patient should be transported to, medical direction should be consulted. Trauma patients with an unstable airway or in cardiac arrest must be transported to the closest hospital.
