VCU news

By Malorie Burkett

The Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine’s Division of Trauma, Critical Care and Emergency Surgery presents the second annual Shining Knight Gala, an event to raise funds for injury and violence prevention and to honor those who protect and save lives in Central Virginia.

The event will take place Saturday, March 20, at the Jefferson Hotel, 101 W. Franklin St. Remarks will begin at 7 p.m.

Guest speakers include Gov. Bob McDonnell, William Hazel, M.D., secretary of health and human services, and VCU President Michael Rao.

A multimedia presentation of a patient survival story will highlight the work of the Central Virginia Trauma System and the VCU Medical Center's trauma and injury and violence prevention programs. Twenty-five care providers will be given the Order of the Shining Knight for their contribution to the patient's survival.

The VCU Medical Center provided trauma care to nearly 4,000 patients in 2009. Patients are admitted into the trauma center for a variety of reasons, including vehicle crashes, falls, burns and crime-related injuries.

The VCU Health System is one of only two nationally recognized Level I trauma centers in the state and is the only one in central Virginia. Virginia recognizes five Level I trauma centers in the state, including the VCUHS. The VCU Health System was the first hospital in Virginia to be recognized after the introduction of the state verification process in 1981.