Renovations Underway at VMC’s Burn Center – Already a Regional Destination for First-Class Care

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, Calif. – The Burn Center at Valley Medical Center is tucked away on a floor of the old main hospital, the same place it has been since it was founded in 1970. But while the physical space hasn’t changed, the same can’t be said about the Burn Center – its capabilities for care evolved through the years and it is now a renowned facility for treating the worst kinds of injuries involving burns, saving and rehabilitating patients who come in from throughout the Bay Area and beyond.

“I've worked at three burn units, and this unit has the strongest burn survivor support system and community of anywhere I've ever been,” said Dr. Cliff Sheckter, burn surgeon and Medical Director of the Burn Center. “Staff here is incredible and you need a lot of staff for a burn center, but it’s not just about having the right people. It’s also having the resources it takes to recover these patients.”

After a determined push two decades ago by then-director Dr. Yvonne Karanas, the Burn Center was verified by the American Burn Association and remains one of only three in Northern California with such standing. And it stands alone in its capability to act as a trauma center for grievous wounds while also treating for burns, with patients coming in not just from Santa Clara County but also from Alameda, Contra Costa, Monterey, San Benito, San Mateo, and Santa Cruz counties. It handles adult and pediatric cases – one of only 35 in the nation with such capability – and is specifically equipped for the treatment of thermal, chemical, contact, electrical and radiation burns.

Sheckter said they recently had two patients come through who had injuries that up until recent years would have certainly proved fatal – one with burns over 85% of his body from a steam explosion, the other with a combination of severe burns and bodily injuries from a major traffic accident and fall from an overpass. Both men were saved using the cutting-edge specialized treatment available at the Burn Center, and continue on the road to recovery.

“Burn injuries are dangerous on multiple levels, psychologically and physically, particularly when you have an extremely large burn,” Sheckter said. “You cannot live without 85% of your skin – you will die from an infection.”

The doctor said that the natural world will relentlessly attack a body unprotected by skin; bacteria and mold will begin to decompose it. But with the technology available at the Burn Center, access to skin banks and knowledgeable staff, it’s possible to alter the outcome. 

And saving a life is just the beginning of the recovery process; the Burn Center is there to help with the rest of the patient’s journey. Burn victims face physically debilitating injuries that also exact a tremendous mental toll. Severe depression, PTSD, anguish, even thoughts of suicide are natural reactions. They need hope. At the Burn Center, they find that hope and help, from therapists, psychologists, nutritionists and social workers in addition to the front-line nurses and doctors. Each patient has a comprehensive team focused on their rehabilitation, a team that for many becomes akin to a new family that helps them get through every step. 

“We tell them that not only is a future possible, but we’re going to help you take those steps to make it happen, to make that your future,” said Dr. Kat Thomas, a pediatric rehabilitation physician. “Not only are you going to go back to living, but you are going to go back to enjoying life. And that’s what it’s really all about.”

That kind of full service takes up a significant chunk of real estate, and Burn Center staff is excited about renovations underway that will expand the facility, doubling its capacity to 14 beds with a projected completion date in 2026. Construction has begun on the “patient-centered” facility, which aims to keep all services – the burn unit, operating room, clinic, physical therapy gym, outpatient and supportive services – in one part of the hospital. Currently, the various divisions are on different floors or even different buildings. 

“One thing patients have said is that it would be really beneficial to have the outpatient and inpatient sides together, so even when you leave the hospital after burn injury and you come for clinic visits you come back to the same place,” Sheckter said. “It’s going to be a very, very, very patient-centered and patient-focused setting. I'm really excited. It's bigger and better in every way. And I wish we were moving into it tomorrow.”

Learn more about the Burn Center at https://scvmc.scvh.org/health-care-services/burn-center.