Trauma Survivors Network - provided by ATS

Survive. Connect. Rebuild.

A Program of the ATS

Become a TSN Facility

Become a TSN Facility Today!

A traumatic injury can alter life in an instant. Recovery can be long and challenging and requires that resources are in place to meet the physical and emotional needs of both the injured and his or her family. We invite you to join us, by partnering with the American Trauma Society (ATS) and a network of the most highly regarded trauma centers in the country, to connect survivors with programs that support patients and their families throughout the recovery process. The Trauma Survivors Network (TSN) links survivors and their families with others who have sustained similar injuries, providing support along with resources to enable victims to rebuild their lives.

As a member of the network your facility will have the ability to offer a variety of resources to support patients and their families during the recovery process, including a Patient/Family Handbook, which provides insight into what to expect in the hours and days after an injury; a Peer Visitation Program to connect trauma patients with volunteer trauma survivors who have experienced the aftermath of a serious injury; peer support groups to help trauma survivors connect with each other; the Next Steps program, which helps patients take charge of their recovery and learn how to move forward; and multiple online programs.

As a member hospital of the TSN you will enjoy the following benefits:
1. Better CARE and outcomes for your patients and their families. To be successful, a trauma center must provide high quality care in an efficient manner. This requires that patients are rapidly moved through the continuum of care (acute care, rehabilitation, outpatient and home care). Due to the rapid pace of medical care, payers and providers, are forced to focus on the medical aspects of care; the psychosocial needs of the patients and their families are often unaddressed. The TSN provides the training and materials you need to establish and successfully maintain programs that address these needs - peer visitation programs, peer support groups, and self-management classes. And, these programs can be effectively maintained over the long run by engaging volunteers who benefitted from the TSN and want to give back.

2. Increased ADVOCACY for trauma systems and injury prevention . . . locally and nationally. A cornerstone of the TSN strategy is the creation of an extensive network of trauma patients, families and providers who are passionate and committed to making a difference. The TSN will provide you with the mechanism to maintain extended contact with your patients and their families and to build an “army of advocates;” advocates who can orchestrate change locally and nationally. The local trauma center will have capacity to inform and mobilize this constituency to address specific local issues confronting the state legislature, payers and regulators. Simultaneously, ATS will partner with the network to educate the national audience. The result is the potential for profound change, at the programmatic, policy and regulatory levels. Most important, we will have the unprecedented opportunity to change the public’s perception of trauma as a major threat to our public’s health. It is only by changing the public’s understanding of injury, its causes and treatment, that ATS and the trauma community can become competitive with other disease advocates such as the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association.

3. Increased opportunities for PHILANTHROPY. We all face the challenges of fundraising and development for our trauma programs and outreach activities. Trauma is often characterized by a short intensive hospital stay coupled with a long and complex course or recovery. The communication channels provided by the TSN, coupled with a talented coordinator, will afford you the opportunity to contact, screen and refer a potential major donor to the development office, while providing the larger number of small donors the opportunity to donate through the website. Many patients and their families who have benefitted from the TSN will want to give back – in volunteer time or monetary donations. The Website will help facilitate these opportunities for your patients and families. Proactive marketing of the program outside the hospital will also attract other organizations and businesses who want to help and contribute
to the Network.

4. Improved SATISFACTION of your patients and their families. Patient and family satisfaction is a major performance metric for all hospitals. The TSN provides several products (the Traumapedia, direct access to CarePages, a customizable Family Handbook, an on-line forum) which when coupled with your local resources, will address “family information starvation” (i.e. What does this mean? How do we cope?) that occurs in the first hours and days post-injury.

Learn more about how you can bring this important program to your facility:

 

For information on how your facility can become part of the Trauma Survivors Network, please email us at admin@traumasurvivorsnetwork.org.

 

To access the TSN program overview, click here.