A Look Back & Ahead from the FCOT Chair

To our Florida Trauma Community,

 

2024 was a year of many opportunities and challenges for our state Trauma System. As the year draws to a close, I want to reflect on where we’ve been, what we’ve accomplished, and where we’re going next. So, let’s reflect back and look forward.

 

 

Dr. Enrique Ginzburg of the University of Miami joined us as FCOT’s Vice Chair for Advocacy. Dr. Ginzburg has helped us champion Stop the Bleed, along with initiatives on juvenile violence.

 

Dr. Antonio Marttos also of the University of Miami joined us as FCOT’s first Vice Chair for International Relations. Dr. Marttos has helped the FCOT build bridges to the Pan-American Trauma Society.

 

Dr. Jose Diaz of the University of South Florida/Tampa General Hospital joined us as Vice Chair EMS. Dr. Diaz has been a strong advocate for EMS cooperation and we can look forward to further work by Jose’s committee as FCOT advocates for Florida’s Trauma Scorecard to be aligned with ACS trauma triage criteria.

 

FCOT, supported by the Association of Florida Trauma Coordinators (AFTC), formally requested an American College of Surgeons (ACS) State Consultative Visit for Florida. My thanks to the many Trauma Leaders in Florida who wrote individual letters in support. Your courage and belief in what we can do together, for all our patients, speaks to FCOT’s commitment to Optimal Care of the Trauma Patient.

 

Congratulations to the winners of the 2024 FCOT competition, who represented Florida at the Region IV competition this November:

 

Hats off to the Pediatric Trauma Committee, led by Dr. John Draus, for its support of Dr. Barbara Gaines as FCOT’s 2024 Visiting Professor. Many thanks as well to the Trauma Centers that hosted Dr. Gaines:

 

FCOT’s advocacy helped advance the reconstitution of the Florida Trauma System Advisory Council (FTSAC), with several FCOT members renewing or receiving a seat on FTSAC. Many thanks to Drs. Nicholas Namias, Darwin Ang, Mark McKenney and Tracy Zito for their hard work on behalf of our state’s Trauma System. 

 

But there’s more work to be done and several vacancies remain on the FTSAC committee. As FCOT Chair, I encourage all of our members and colleagues in FTSAC to actively consider applying to sharing your experience and knowledge for the benefit of all of our patients. A fully reconstituted FCOT will be a major priority in 2025.

 

Many thanks to all who participated in developing our most recent draft of Florida Trauma Standards. With every revision, we’ve moved Florida further along in having a modern and effective trauma system. A fully reconstituted FTSAC will be the next crucial step in moving our updated standards forward. Continued advocacy from all of us will be crucial in the coming year.

 

The late summer disruption in blood supply was a wake-up call for all of us. Partnering with the Florida Department of Health (DOH) and the Florida Hospital Association (FHA), FCOT arranged stakeholder meetings for updates and to share information on the rapidly unfolding event. It is a cautionary tale on the importance of communication and collaboration to ensure all patients at Florida’s Trauma Centers have the resources they need. While the proposed rule on blood supply has now been withdrawn, the practical need of our state’s trauma centers to ensure adequate resources for our patients is ever-present. FCOT and AFTC will continue to advocate for the importance of prioritizing resources for Florida’s Trauma Centers.

 

Another successful year for FL TQIP!  Many thanks to Dr. Ralph Barker’s leadership and to all committee members. 2025 promises to be an important year for the development of our collaborative. I look forward to all members of FCOT and AFTC continuing to support and participate in the work of this critical committee.

 

 

A calendar of 2025 Executive Committee meetings, Business Meetings, and TQIP Collaborative meetings is included at the end of this newsletter. Many thanks to our host trauma centers for the upcoming year, including our first ever FCOT meeting at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital.

 

The Florida COT is completing a historic expansion, ensuring that our COT recognizes the contributions of relevant disciplines and trauma research. I’m pleased to announce Florida COT’s first-ever Vice Chairs for Burns, Orthopedic Surgery, and Research.

 

Dr. Howard Smith, Director of Orlando Health’s Warden Burn Center, is our newly appointed Vice Chair for Burns. Building on the interest section of the early 2000s, Burns now has an official home in our Florida COT. 

 

Dr. Daniel Segina of Health First Medical Group is our first Vice Chair for Orthopedic Surgery. The Orthopedic Section will be a nucleus for a future Specialty Chair, including sub-committees for key surgical specialties, such as Neurosurgery, Vascular, and Urology. It will also be the future home of our first advanced practice provider section for Trauma PAs and NPs. 

 

Dr. Jonathan Meizoso of the University of Miami is our newly appointed Vice Chair for Research. Dr. Steven Lorch of the University of South Florida and Tampa General Hospital will succeed Jonathan as Chair of the Resident and Fellow Paper Competition.

 

Please join me in congratulating these leaders and welcoming them for their new roles.

 

Dr. Julie Valenzuela of the University of Miami will succeed Dr. David Ebler with UF/Jacksonville as Vice Chair for Military and Civilian Partnerships. Florida’s ties to military trauma run deep, and David has been instrumental in building on those ties. 

 

The ATLS Vice Chair position will also transition in 2025. Dr. Luis Llerena will remain until September 2025 as we seek to fill this critical position in our FCOT. FCOT cannot thank Luis enough for his determination and love of ATLS.  Since 2021, Florida has added eight ATLS sites, with more to come. If you have any interest in the ATLS Vice Chair position, please feel free to reach out to me for Dr. Llerena directly.

 

Many thanks to Dr. Llerena and the ATLS/Education committee for organizing the 2025 Visiting Professor visit by Dr. Sharon Henry. It promises to be another incredible VP week in the long tradition of FCOT Visiting Professors. Stay tuned for the list of host locations and topics.

 

FCOT, along with AFTC, will continue to strongly advocate for a state consultative visit in the coming year. In preparation for that visit, I have asked our Vice Chairs for Level I trauma centers, Level II trauma centers, and EMS to organize an ad hoc committee of trauma leaders charged with looking into the future and to think about where we want our Florida Trauma System to be in 2030. The Florida Trauma 2030, FT30 ad hoc committee, in partnership with the AFTC and the Florida Association of EMS Medical Directors will develop a series of recommendations for presentation to the FTSAC and, ultimately, the Florida Department of Health.  These recommendations will help inform the future of our state trauma system and provide guidance to our future ACS consultative team.

 

An incredible year is behind us and another is about to start. Thank you all for your continued support and engagement. Together, we make Florida’s COT a national leader and make every day safer for the people of Florida. Thank you all for your encouragement, support and engagement. Happy Holidays and best wishes for the New Year.

 

Warm regards,

 

Peter

 

Peter A Pappas MD FACS

Chair

ACS COT-Florida