COCOON of LOVE: BECOMING A WORLD-CLASS BURN CENTER DOESN'T HAPPEN OVERNIGHT.

• Author: Dark, Stephen

On Ericka Drown's first day in University of Utah Health's Burn Center, she went through a baptism of fire--pun intended. Three burn victims were flown to Salt Lake City: a 20-year-old woman and two 18-year-old youth. All three had horrific scalds over nearly all their bodies after an accident in Yellowstone National Park.

Drown, R.N., witnessed both the worst of human suffering and the best of human behavior that day. The boys walked out of the center four months later, but the young woman, who received emotional support from the relatives of the boys, died the August 2001 day she was admitted.

Eighteen years on and Drown still works at the burn center, which is on the fourth floor of University Hosptial. "It's given me a great respect for all things hot--and potentially hot," she says.

Burn center medical director Steven Morris, M.D., has worked at the unit for 30 years. "This is not something that everybody is cut out for," he says. "I am. That makes me feel obliged to do what I can to help these folks."

That's a philosophy that the 120 staff members all share. "You're part of the burn center family," says Lisa McMurtrey, the clinical nurse coordinator for the outpatient clinic. The staff comprises a team that's dedicated to helping patients reintegrate into "a new sense of normalcy" after surviving burns, she says.

The unit is one of only 73 in the world deemed a Verified Burn Center by the American Burn Association. According to the ABA's website, that means it's been found to have "rigorous standards for organizational structure, personnel qualifications, facilities resources, and medical care services." Regionally, it covers the largest area of any verified burn center in the United States.

That circle is made up of a multi-disciplinary team including physicians, advanced practice clinicians, registered nurses, pharmacists, physical and occupational therapists, respiratory therapists, social workers, child life specialists, and case managers. "Unless you have a dedicated team that understands all areas of care, it's very hard to do," Wiggins says.

Unlike other departments in the hospital, the center is designed to provide its annual 400 or so patients with long-term stays due to the complexity of their health care needs. One day of care equates to one percent of the total percentage of the body burn.

Injuries range from hot water, flame, and chemical scalds to electrical, frostbite, and soft tissue injuries, notably flesh-eating...