A frightening accident may expose someone to open flames, electricity, or a harmful chemical. This exposure may cause severe burns and leave a patient in need of specialized care that a normal emergency room can’t provide. In some cases, burn patients could die without this care.
Victims of serious burns in California may take an ambulance ride or a helicopter flight to one of the many burn centers located across the state.
The doctors and nurses at these hospitals perform medical miracles every day. They save the lives of burn victims and also work to help them rebuild their lives in the aftermath of a tragic accident.
What Is a Burn Center?
A burn center or burn unit is a specialized hospital or department of a hospital with the staff and equipment to treat the most traumatic of burn injuries. Burn centers provide comprehensive, multi-disciplinary care for victims. These hospitals are prepared to accept emergency care patients at any hour to treat life-threatening burn wounds.
The staff may include plastic surgeons, general surgeons, pediatricians, psychiatrists, and social workers. Burn centers focus not only on the immediate care of the patient. They also provide focused programs that assist burn injury victims with adapting to life after they get out of the hospital.
Who Is Admitted to Burn Centers?
The most severely burned victims, often suffering from third-degree burns, are often taken to burn centers. They may also be transferred to burn centers after first receiving care in a local emergency room or trauma center.
The criteria for admittance to a burn center can vary, but these are common symptoms of victims who wind up in burn units according to the American Burn Association (ABA):
- Patients with partial thickness burns over 10% of body surface area.
- Patients with burns that involve the face, hands, feet, genitalia, perineum, and major joints.
- Patients with third-degree burns.
- Patients suffering from electrical burns and chemical burns.
- Patients with inhalation wounds.
- Burn victims with other health issues that make treatment more critical.
- Child burn victims in hospitals that aren’t equipped to handle their care.
- Patients who require special social or emotional care.
Burn centers in California
If you or a loved one ever suffer a serious burn in California, you may have to locate the closest burn center to your home.
The United States is home to around 120 burn centers with almost half belonging to the ABA. Membership means that coordination for care and research is more easily facilitated. ABA member facilities are certified to provide the best emergency care available, and the best support for patients and families once victims are ready to return home.
The ABA lists 13 different burn centers across California.
Here is a list of the California burn centers listed by the ABA:
American Burn Center Members —
Leon S. Peters Burn Center
Community Regional Medical Center
2823 Fresno Street, Fresno, CA 93721
(559) 459-4220
Neil Reitman Pediatric Burn Institute
Shriners Children’s Northern California
2425 Stockton Boulevard, Sacramento, California 95817-2215
(916) 453-2111
Bothin Burn Center
Saint Francis Memorial Hospital
900 Hyde Street, San Francisco, California 94109-4806
(415) 353-6255
Santa Clara Valley Medical Center Regional Burn Center
751 S Bascom Avenue, San Jose, California 95128-2604
(408) 885-6666
Southern California Regional Burn Center
LA General (formerly LAC and USC Medical Center)
2051 Marengo Street, Los Angeles, California 90033-1352
(323) 409-7991
Torrance Memorial Burn Center
3330 Lomita Boulevard, Torrance, California 90505-5002
(310) 517-4622
UCI Health Regional Burn Center
101 The City Drive South, Orange, California 92868-3201
(888) 622-2876
UC San Diego Health Regional Burn Center
200 W Arbor Drive, San Diego, California 92103-1911
(619) 543-6502
Non-ABA Member Hospitals —
The Grossman Burn Center
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital
420 34th Street Bakersfield, CA 93301
661-323-BURN (2876) 24-Hour InPatient
661-633-BURN (2876) OutPatient Clinic
The Grossman Burn Center
West Hills Hospital & Medical Center
7300 Medical Center Drive, West Hills, California 91307-1902
(818) 676-4177
Burn and Wound Clinic
San Francisco General Hospital
1001 Potrero Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94110
(628) 206-8287
Edward G. Hirschman Burn Center
Arrowhead Regional Medical Center
400 N. Pepper Avenue, Colton, California 92324
(909) 580-2100
Orange County Burn Center
Orange County Global Medical Center
1001 N. Tustin Avenue, Santa Ana, California 92705
(714) 972-2876
Contact a California Burn Injury Lawyer
If you or a loved one suffer a serious burn after a careless act by an individual or business, please speak with a qualified California burn injury lawyer. After an accident caused by negligence, you should never have to face the consequences of difficult burn recovery alone. Unhelpful insurance companies can make securing support as you heal difficult, but a skilled traumatic injury lawyer can turn the tables on them.
There’s an easy, no-risk way to determine just what your burn injury case should be worth. Contact Maison Law, to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation. Our attorneys understand the trauma that burn victims go through and we want to allow them time to heal without having to worry about enormous medical bills.
If you feel Maison Law can help you earn the maximum compensation available for your injury, you won’t need any money upfront. Our attorneys don’t get paid unless we win your case.