News Neurosurgery Expansion Underway at Seton Medical Center Williamson

AUSTIN, TX - (December 8, 2009) - Seton Medical Center Williamson (SMCW), a member of the Seton Family of Hospitals, announced today the expansion of neurosurgery services to provide top care to Williamson County.

The expansion includes emergency surgery to treat traumatic brain and spine injuries. Currently, many of these injuries require treatment elsewhere.

"The expansion of neurosurgical services will decrease the numbers of patients that will need to be transferred to Austin and Temple," explains Dr. Ben Coopwood, Trauma Medical Director for Seton Medical Center Williamson. "This will result in more timely care close to home for those in the community who suffer a traumatic brain or spinal cord injury."

With the addition of three, highly accomplished neurosurgeons, many of these injuries can now be handled at SMCW.

Those three neurosurgeons include Dr. Mark Lee, Dr. Robert Buchanan and Dr. Alex Valadka.

Dr. Valadka is a nationally recognized neurosurgeon and the Chief of Adult Neurosciences and Neurotrauma for the Seton Brain & Spine Institute. He specializes in neurotrauma and neurocritical care. Dr. Valadka's areas of research include treatment of traumatic brain injury, delivery systems for emergency medical care and critical care, and cerebral blood flow and metabolism. He is also a consultant for Mild Traumatic Brain Injury to the Commissioner of Major League Baseball.

"As we continue to expand the neurosciences program in the Seton Family of Hospitals, adding Seton Medical Center Williamson was the next logical step. SMCW is a beautiful, state-of-the-art facility and provides world-class healthcare to the rapidly growing population in Williamson County," explains Dr. Valadka. "Our clinical, research, and educational programs in the Seton Family of Hospitals will benefit greatly from working with SMCW every day, just as the patients at SMCW will benefit from our cutting-edge programs."

In October of 2009, Seton Medical Center Williamson began offering Level III Trauma Services; however, this neurosurgery expansion brings the hospital one step closer to achieving Level II Trauma Center Designation.