Mercy Burn Center physicians and co-workers gathered
to celebrate the verification achievement.
ST. LOUIS – The Burn Center at Mercy Hospital St. Louis was recently verified as an adult and pediatric burn center, the only verified center in Missouri.
Burn center verification is a voluntary joint program of the American Burn Association (ABA) and the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Committee on Trauma. To achieve verification, Mercy met rigorous standards for organizational structure, personnel qualifications, facilities resources and medical care services. The verification highlights Mercy’s high quality patient care for burn patients from time of injury through rehabilitation.
“This national designation shows our patients and surrounding community the commitment we have made to provide the highest quality of care to those who need our services,” said Dr. Michael Smock, Mercy Burn Center director. “People may not think they’ll never need burn care, but when they do it’s good for them to know the level of care we provide.”
According to the ABA, burn injuries result in more than 500,000 hospital emergency department visits and approximately 50,000 acute admissions in the U.S. each year. Most burn injuries are relatively minor and patients are discharged following outpatient treatment at the initial medical facility. However, of the patients who require hospitalization, about 20,000 are admitted directly or by referral to hospitals with special capabilities in the treatment of burn injuries.
The Mercy Burn Center, a 12-bed unit, is the only facility providing comprehensive acute and reconstructive burn care for adults and children in eastern Missouri and southern Illinois. Mercy Hospital St. Louis treats 256 burn patients each year.
Mercy Hospital St. Louis, part of Mercy’s east Missouri region, is a 979-bed comprehensive teaching hospital. The 80-acre site houses a nine-level heart and vascular hospital, a cancer center, a comprehensive pediatric hospital, a surgery center and a 120-bed skilled nursing center. Mercy is the sixth largest Catholic health care system in the U.S. and serves more than 3 million people annually. Mercy includes 33 acute care hospitals, four heart hospitals, two children’s hospitals, two rehab hospitals and one orthopedic hospital, nearly 700 clinic and outpatient facilities, 40,000 co-workers and 2,100 Mercy Clinic physicians in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Mercy also has outreach ministries in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.
