More than 100 colleagues, community healthcare providers, vendors and speakers gathered last Thursday (Aug. 27) for St. Tammany Health System’s 4th annual Trauma Symposium, a day focused on strengthening trauma care across the continuum.
The daylong symposium, held at the Fleur de Lis Event Center in Mandeville, featured a wide range of topics, including trauma care from the initial response through recovery. Speakers addressed pediatric trauma, first-responder PTSD, trauma care after resuscitation and prehospital blood administration, among other topics.
One of the day’s most powerful moments came from the nonprofit known as Simmons 3, which shares the founders’ tragic story illustrating the devastating consequences of impaired driving.
As part of the presentation, Dawn Simmons and daughter Katie shared the story of losing three family members – aged 15, 17 and 21 – when a drunken driver traveling the wrong way on I-49 struck their vehicle head-on. Dawn and Katie now share their story with teens and other audiences around the country in hopes of preventing another family from experiencing a similar loss.
The day also included hands-on skills stations and support from community organizations including NAMI, LOPA and LERN, along with opportunities for attendees to connect with vendors and colleagues.
Scroll down for images from Thursday’s event, and watch for details on the 5th annual Trama Symposium next summer.