Teen Victim of New Year's Eve Road Rage Attack Thanks Trauma Surgical Team That Saved His Life

NEW HYDE PARK, N.Y., Jan. 28, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In a reflection of the capabilities that earned it a Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center verification from the American College of Surgeons, Cohen Children's Medical Center today welcomed back Mohmun Farhadi, 16, who underwent life-saving surgery on New Year's Eve after he and his brother Nawid, 29, were stabbed in a road rage attack near their Bethpage home.

The teen, suffering from a pierced lung, and his brother Nawid, 29, who sustained a stab wound to the leg, were brought to Northwell Health's Plainview Hospital, where Nawid underwent surgery. Dangerously close to losing his life, Mohmun was rushed to Cohen Children's Medical Center, where the hospital's pediatric trauma team performed emergency surgery to repair the stab wound. He was discharged from the hospital a week later and returned to school.

"This case exemplifies perfectly the teamwork necessary to be honored with this new Level 1 national designation for pediatric trauma.  We are unbelievably proud to be in that national pool of worthy children's hospitals," said Charles Schleien, MD, senior vice president and chair of pediatrics at Cohen.

"The life-saving surgery that was performed on Mohmun underscores the capabilities that Cohen Children's Medical Center has available on-site, around-the-clock, to treat a full range of trauma injuries to children," said Kevin McGeachy, executive director at Cohen.

Cohen is the only hospital in New York City and Long Island verified by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) as a Level 1 pediatric center. 

"With the largest pediatric trauma program in New York State, Cohen Children's Medical Center is honored to be recognized as the only Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center in New York City and Long Island verified by the American College of Surgeons," said Jose Prince, MD, trauma medical director at Cohen, part of Northwell Health. "This distinction serves to inspire our combined staff of surgeons, doctors, nurses and therapists to continue to provide excellence in clinical care, research, quality improvement, education and injury prevention to the families we serve. It is a great achievement to be recognized as a leader in these efforts at the national level."

Less than two miles away, Northwell Health's North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset is the first and only hospital verified by the ACS as a Level 1 adult trauma center in Long Island – a distinction that was awarded in November 2014. Northwell's Southside Hospital in Bay Shore is an ACS-verified Level 2 adult trauma center. ACS trauma verifications are replacing the current New York State trauma designations, with the ACS being the gold standard for trauma center verification in the country.

Cohen Children's Medical Center is served by Northwell Health's air medical program, known as SkyHealth, which provides emergency medical services by helicopter to rapidly transport injured or critically ill children to the facility for expert trauma care. The hospital, which has extensive pediatric intensive care capabilities, also operates the Pediatric Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygen (ECMO) Program, which is the only program of its kind on Long Island.

With the addition of helicopter transport, pediatric trauma surgeons are immediately available to treat neurosurgical, orthopedic and other traumas at the hospital.  SkyHealth is outfitted with sophisticated technology that includes mechanical ventilators, cardiac monitoring, incubators for infants and other lifesaving medical equipment.

Verified trauma centers must meet the essential criteria that ensure trauma care capability and institutional performance, as outlined by the American College of Surgeons' Committee on Trauma in its current Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient manual.  The ACS Committee on Trauma's verification program provides confirmation that a trauma center has demonstrated its commitment to providing the highest quality trauma care for all injured patients.

About the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York
Opened in 1983, the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York is home to about 675 pediatricians, including over 200 full-time physicians, and a total workforce of more than 1,200, including more than 500 nurses. For the ninth consecutive year in 2015, Cohen was ranked among the best children's hospitals in the nation in U.S. News & World Report's 2014-15 "America's Best Children's Hospitals" survey, now listed in nine of ten categories.

About Northwell Health
Northwell Health (formerly North Shore-LIJ Health System) is New York State's largest health care provider and private employer. With 21 hospitals and nearly 450 outpatient practices, we serve 8 million people in the metro New York area and beyond. Our 61,000 employees work to change health care for the better. We're making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institute. We're training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine and the School of Graduate Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. And we offer health insurance through CareConnect. For information on our services in more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu.

SOURCE Cohen Children's Medical Center

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http://ccmc.northshorelij.com