Trauma Care for Children

For all trauma injuries, call 9-1-1 immediately.

If your child experiences a serious or critical injury, you know that minutes and seconds make a big difference in the outcome. That’s when you want to rely on the expert trauma doctors, surgeons and healthcare professionals at OU Health in Oklahoma City.

Round-the-Clock Access to Children’s Trauma Services

Whenever your infant, child or young adult needs care for any kind of traumatic injury, you’ll find comprehensive trauma care for children, available 24/7, no matter where you live in Oklahoma or the surrounding region.

Oklahoma’s Only Level 1 Trauma Center

At Oklahoma’s only Level 1 Trauma Center, you’ll find pediatric physicians and specially trained trauma doctors working together to deal with the effects of traumatic injury on growing bodies.

These pediatric trauma experts treat life-threatening situations by delivering the highest level of trauma care in the region. And they coordinate your child’s care between the Trauma Center and Oklahoma Children’s Hospital through a multidisciplinary team-based approach.

Pediatric Trauma Surgery

While you don’t want to think your child may need surgery for a traumatic injury, you can count on OU Health’s pediatric trauma and emergency specialists to provide top-quality pediatric surgical services through the state’s only Level 1 Trauma Center. Through advanced technologies and up-to-date facilities designed especially for children, you’re assured your child receives appropriate care for their specific situation.

If needed, air ambulances can airlift your injured child to start treatment quickly. Oklahoma Children’s Hospital trauma surgeons and critical care staff stay in the hospital around the clock, ready to treat the most serious injuries immediately. Oklahoma Children’s Hospital has the states only dedicated pediatric and air ambulances - Air Kids One and Ground Level One.

Air Kids One transports all critically ill pediatric patients in addition to neonates to Oklahoma Children's Hospital Level I pediatric trauma center or our Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) for specialty evaluation once stabilized.

The OU Health transport team is composed of highly skilled nurses and paramedics with years of experience in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), PICU and emergency medicine. The team has specialty training in neonatal and pediatric advanced airway placement, as well as expertise in resuscitation and stabilization of the neonate and pediatric patients.

You and your child also benefit from the extensive research, innovative treatments and new procedures developed within our academic medical departments and brought directly into the care of your child.

Your Role on Your Child’s Care Team

As a vital member of your child’s trauma care team, you participate in developing a treatment plan and remain involved in treatment decisions throughout the healing process. When you stay with your child during treatment, your support can help your child better cope with hospitalization and follow-up care. Your trauma team members will teach you how to continue care after your child leaves the hospital and will give you printed instructions in English or Español.

Child Life Specialists Ease the Challenge of Hospitalization

During hospitalization, Child Life specialists work with your child using age-appropriate explanations and play-based techniques to provide comfort and improve feelings of safety relative to the procedures your child may experience while in our colorful and welcoming hospital environment.

Trauma Care or Emergency Care?

While hospital emergency departments deliver prompt care for illness, injury or other immediate health problems, not all can offer the specially trained staff, advanced technology, 24/7 access or other requirements needed to provide the life-saving high level of trauma care found at a verified Level 1 Trauma Center.

When you need emergency care, choose OU Health’s emergency departments in Oklahoma City, including University of Oklahoma Medical Center and Oklahoma Children’s Hospital, as well as the emergency department at OU Health Edmond Medical Center and OU Health’s emergency medicine specialists at hospitals in Tulsa.