ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to characterize the dynamics of trauma for Hispanics and other races at a large urban, level 1 trauma center in the Northeast United States. Trauma—the fourth most costly disease in the United States—disproportionately affects minority Americans. Analyzed the experience of a large urban level 1 trauma center, surveying types of trauma by race, and found that although blacks and Hispanics had a disproportional share of admissions relative to non-Hispanic white populations, Hispanics had distinct mechanisms of injury compared to both blacks and whites. The mechanism of injury—blunt vs. penetrating—was substantially different for minority Americans, traditionally, it has been believed that urban minority populations suffer more commonly from penetrating trauma. The nation is in the process of regionalizing and standardizing trauma health care delivery. This involves a number of hospital, prehospital, and other societal issues. The US trauma community and health care delivery systems will need focused efforts to further address the dynamics of trauma for Hispanics.
