When I go to bed, I sometimes lie awake, just pondering: If I wanted to bike to work, could I find a safe route? If the new Tesla is a truck, why don’t I see anybody using it to haul construction equipment? Why are my Dallas Cowboys breaking my heart already, instead of waiting until the playoffs, like every other year?

One thing that I’ll never lose sleep over, though, is wondering whether our Novant Health team is well prepared to handle any emergency situation. I know they are.

Whenever I hear an ambulance siren, my first thought is concern for the person who needs emergency care. My second thought is, I’m glad we have such a talented, experienced and dedicated team springing into action.

Those skilled, brave emergency responders are an incredibly dedicated group. Their jobs are a calling, and their ability to make immediate lifesaving decisions is remarkable.

From the field, our emergency teams transport patients to an emergency facility – often Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center.

Since 1989, New Hanover Regional Medical Center has been a Level II Trauma Center, one of four in the state. We are the primary trauma center for most of an eight-county area, and Novant Health provides four other emergency departments in the Coastal region.

We are accredited by the American College of Surgeons, who recently visited for a scheduled three-year survey. The surveyors were impressed by our teams’ dedication to providing patient education and our overall excellence in trauma care.

Our Level II accreditation acknowledges our ability to care for patients in many life-or-death situations – from severe automobile injuries to sudden heart failure.

Our lifesaving (and limb-saving) efforts often require collaboration among departments. And our team always works together to ensure the best possible outcomes for our patients and their families.

Many of our clinical institutes have received national recognition. Our Novant Health Heart & Vascular Institute has received numerous top-level (gold and platinum) awards from Get with the Guidelines and the American College of Cardiology. These awards are prestigious, and the message they send is clear: Our HVI team provides expert care for emergency (and nonemergency) heart conditions to help our community members live longer, healthier lives.

Our Comprehensive Stroke Center has been honored for the team’s expertise and efficiency. To achieve this success, we use AI to get stroke patients as quickly as possible to the operating room, where our surgical team is waiting to begin surgery.

When an ER visit leads to a longer stay in our hospital, I know the patient is well taken care of.

We now have seven surgical intensivists. That means that if you are in the ICU after a trauma, your care is being managed by a surgeon who is fellowship-trained.

And because healing after a traumatic injury involves more than physical treatment, we have developed an innovative mental health program specifically to help patients who have survived traumatic injuries.

I’m undeniably proud of my Novant Health team. Their jobs are vitally important, and they use their knowledge and skills to make immediate decisions that lead to successful outcomes.

If only my Cowboys could do the same …