Friends of Ryder Trauma Center was formed by a volunteer at the Trauma Center who saw lives being saved on a routine basis by dedicated professionals.   Every citizen and visitor in Miami-Dade county and the Keys is a potential patient to the only Level 1 Trauma Center serving this area.

If an individual is ejected from a motor vehicle in front of any other South Florida hospital they will be taken by Air Rescue or Fire Rescue to The Ryder Trauma Center at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center. Optimal care in the first hour can make all the difference. A recent study in The New England Journal of Medicine states that survival rates are improved by 20% when patients are taken to a Level 1 Trauma center over a regular emergency room.

No one is turned away. No one is asked if they are innocent or guilty, insured or un-insured, a citizen or a visitor. Everyone is treated according to their injuries and no other criteria. There is a health care crisis in the United States since so many people are turned away from medical care. This is not so within the walls of The Ryder Trauma Center at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center.

At the financial level, there is a crisis. Much care is given to those who cannot afford to pay for it.  This puts a strain on the budget and requires organizations such as this one to focus on the Trauma Centers needs. Via traffic accident, burn or even a fall at home, anyone of us could be a visitor.  It is our goal that the very best facility in the country is available to everyone.

Thank You!

Alexander Vara
President