Koessl To Serve On Trama Care Committee

Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital (FMDH) Director of Nursing Brenda Koessl was recently appointed by Governor Bullock to serve on the state Trauma Care Committee. Koessl is one of 15 representatives throughout the state who will work together to reduce the incidence of trauma injuries in Montana and to promote and advance excellence in the care of an injured patient.

The committee is made up of various members of a number of different associations including Montana Medical Association, Emergency Nurses Association and the Montana Emergency Medical Services Association. Koessl will be serving on the committee as a Montana Hospital Association (MHA) representative, acting as a liaison between the Montana Hospital Association and the trauma committee. The MHA is a nonprofit organization which provides services to every not-for-profit acute care hospitals in the state including FMDH, which has been a member for a number of years.

In order to be eligible to be selected on the committee, Koessl had to fill out an application packet, submit a curriculum vitae (CV), which is a written overview of her work, and provide an explanation on why she would be a good candidate to serve on the committee. Upon finding out she was selected, Koessl admitted she was flattered but it didn't really sink in until much later due to the timing and the juggling of many responsibilities at the time.

The committee meets quarterly and the first meeting Koessl was a part of was held on May 13. "The meeting was four hours long and I sat through a lot of interesting conversations. There was a lot of conversations regarding COVID such as when to open up educational classes for providers and the federal funds available in order to put into place extra precautions on trauma patients," explained Koessl. "Most hospitals use the same protocols for trauma so we discussed current protocols for trauma patients. Different facilities have different trauma designations. FMDH was working towards receiving Trauma Level 4 designation and was in the final stages before COVID happened. So discussions were also around the next steps to finalize the designations."

Koessl started her nursing career in 1981 as a nurse's aid at FMDH. She continued her education over the years, becoming a licensed practical nurse, a registered nurse and then obtained her Bachelor's and Master's degree. "I took the long way around!," laughed Koessl. In addition to serving on the committee and as the director of nursing at FMDH, she covers emergency rooms in small critical hospitals in northeastern Montana on the weekends.

"Growing up, I always knew I would be a nurse. I never considered doing anything else," exclaimed Koessl.

The Trauma Care Committee is expected to convene again in August and November while Koessl's appointment will last through November.