H.R. No. 454



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, Children's Medical Center Dallas has earned the 
distinction of being the only pediatric hospital in the State of 
Texas and one of only 14 pediatric hospitals in the nation to have 
received the designation of Level 1 Trauma Center-Pediatric by the 
Committee on Trauma of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and 
the Texas Department of State Health Services; and
	WHEREAS, With 24-hour in-house coverage by trauma surgeons, 
pediatric emergency medicine specialists, and anesthesiology and 
operating room personnel, Level 1 Trauma centers are capable of 
providing proficient comprehensive care for the most severely 
injured patients; the ACS created national guidelines for the 
purpose of optimizing trauma care in the United States, 
establishing criteria for reviewing trauma centers and assigning 
level ratings; the criteria for Level 1, which is the highest 
designation a trauma center can receive, require an institution to 
have a comprehensive injury prevention program, a trauma-specific 
research program, and an effective outreach and education program; 
and
	WHEREAS, Founded more than 90 years ago, Children's Medical 
Center Dallas is the only health care facility in Dallas that deals 
exclusively with a variety of diseases and disorders among children 
from birth to age 18; in 2004 alone, Children's admitted nearly 
1,400 trauma patients to the hospital and evaluated and treated 
thousands more in its emergency department; services at the clinic 
include general surgery, orthopedic surgery, pain management, 
injury prevention, social work, occupational and physical therapy, 
neuropsychology, psychiatry, and pastoral care; and
	WHEREAS, The Trauma Injury Prevention Program at Children's 
works with the Greater Dallas Injury Prevention Center and the 
National Safe Kids Coalition, as well as its Dallas counterpart, to 
educate the public about preventing injuries; the program maintains 
a comprehensive trauma registry to pinpoint areas where 
intervention is needed and provides periodic trauma education for 
physicians, nurses, and other allied health professionals; 
moreover, pediatric-specific trauma education is offered to health 
care providers in the community and beyond through the center's 
Trauma Outreach Programs; in addition, a number of important 
research projects are currently underway, including an analysis of 
young children in motor vehicle collisions and an examination of 
outcomes in children with severe traumatic brain injury; and
	WHEREAS, Children's has also developed a comprehensive 
multidisciplinary trauma clinic that is one-of-a-kind in the 
region; the clinic's goal is to meet all of the needs of patients 
and their families in follow-up visits and to eliminate the need for 
multiple appointments to the many specialists often involved in 
caring for an injured child; and
	WHEREAS, Making the institutional commitment to be a Level 1 
Trauma Center demonstrates the dedication of Children's Medical 
Center Dallas to provide the highest quality of medical care for our 
children; the designation of the hospital as a Trauma Center Level 1 
is not only a tribute to the hospital but also an enormous benefit 
to the community that it serves; now, therefore, be it
	 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th 
Texas Legislature hereby congratulate Children's Medical Center 
Dallas on its verification as a Level 1 Trauma Center-Pediatric by 
the Committee on Trauma of the American College of Surgeons and the 
Texas Department of State Health Services; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 
prepared for the hospital as an expression of high regard by the 
Texas House of Representatives.

                                                                          Anchia

                                                  ______________________________
                                                       Speaker of the House     

	I certify that H.R. No. 454 was adopted by the House on March 
3, 2005, by a non-record vote.

                                                  ______________________________
                                                     Chief Clerk of the House