Trauma Bay Expansion Planned at Orlando Health ORMC

As Central Florida continues to grow, so does its number of trauma cases.

“It’s very typical on Friday and Saturday nights that the Trauma Bay is full from just one carload of people. Central Florida is a busy area and the population is rapidly growing,” says Dr. Joseph Ibrahim, trauma medical director at the Level One Trauma Center of Orlando Health Orlando Regional Medical Center (ORMC).

To keep pace with the community’s expanding needs, Orlando Health ORMC plans to double the size of its Trauma Bay, where the most urgent patients are treated.

Originally built more than 25 years ago, the Trauma Bay at Orlando Health ORMC was designed to treat 1,000 patients a year. Today, that number has increased to more than 5,100 trauma patients annually. An increase in trauma patients, coupled with needs identified in the aftermath of the Pulse tragedy, are driving the Trauma Bay’s expansion plans. 

The expansion will allow Trauma Bay staff to rapidly add 10 more treatment areas in response to a mass casualty. Electrical power and gas lines for medical equipment will be installed in the ceiling, where they will be out of the way when not in use, but immediately available should the need arise. 

The renovation also will provide more privacy at the ambulance entrance and upgrade the communications technology within staff meeting rooms and the Incident Command Center where disasters are managed.

To learn more about supporting Central Florida’s only Level One Trauma Center, contact Thomas Bolick, director, Orlando Health Foundation at 321.841.5194 or 
Thomas.Bolick@ OrlandoHealth.com.