The American College of Surgeons (ACS) Committee on Trauma has verified Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt as a Level I pediatric trauma center, recognizing the hospital’s commitment to provide the highest level of care for injured pediatric patients.
As a regional comprehensive pediatric facility, Children’s Hospital is the only Level I pediatric trauma center within 150 miles, providing specialty services for children from Alabama to Kentucky and all over Tennessee. There are fewer than 50 ACS verified Level I pediatric trauma centers in the country.
“Attaining the American College of Surgeons’ verification as a Level I pediatric trauma is a true testament to the commitment and hard work of our team of trauma experts who care for critically injured children; and it is a true team effort, including pediatric surgeons, emergency medicine doctors, intensivists, nurses, and child and family care specialists,” said John W. Brock III, Surgeon-in-chief of Children’s Hospital, Senior Vice President of Pediatric Surgical Services and Monroe Carell Jr. Professor.
“This achievement recognizes us as a world-class leader in pediatric trauma care and validates Children’s Hospital’s long established mission—to excel in providing the highest level of quality care in pediatric trauma and beyond, and assures families that their children are in the best, most qualified hands. I want to congratulate everyone involved. It is an honor every day I get to work with these men and women,” Brock said.
Children’s Hospital’s Pediatric Trauma service admits about 1,100 pediatric trauma patients each year, treating a wide range of injuries that result from various mechanisms including all-terrain vehicle accidents, motor vehicle crashes, falls, gunshot wounds, bicycle wrecks, among others.
“ACS Level I pediatric trauma center verification means that our Pediatric Trauma Program provides the highest standard of patient care for injured children at Children’s Hospital, benchmarked by evidence-based clinical pathways, outstanding quality, and patient outcomes,” said Dai Chung, M.D., Director of Pediatric Trauma, chair of the Department of Pediatric Surgery and the Janie Robinson and John Moore Lee Professor of Pediatrics. “As one of the busiest pediatric trauma programs in the country, this designation puts us as being one of the very best in caring for injured children. This recognition also reflects how everyone works together to support a multidisciplinary program such as Pediatric Trauma at our children’s hospital.”
Verified trauma centers must meet the 108 essential criteria that ensure trauma care capability and institutional performance as outlined by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma’s published guidelines. The ACS is considered the country’s leading surgical care organization, which seeks to improve the quality of care for surgical patients.
The verification is a voluntary process in which hospitals request that a team of ACS objective reviewers, who are experts in the field of trauma, conduct an extensive on-site examination of the hospital and its trauma center. During the process, reviewers take into consideration the entire spectrum of care and how the needs of all injured patients at trauma centers are addressed, including outreach and prevention, along with efforts to improve performance and conduct outcomes-based research.
“Attaining the ACS’s verification as a Level I pediatric trauma program is an incredible accomplishment for the Children’s Hospital team,” said Meg Rush, M.D., Chief of Staff and Executive Medical Director of Children’s Hospital. “This milestone in our hospital’s program development builds on our mission to serve all children with the highest quality and nationally accepted standards of care. The verification process illustrates the fabulous teamwork across multiple specialties that is reflected directly in the care rendered to our patients and families every day. I congratulate and thank the many members of the pediatric trauma program for their efforts and this recognition.”
Some of the many highlights of the Trauma Program as noted in the ACS report:
· Strong subspecialty service support ensures total and complete care of all injuries patients at Children’s Hospital.
· The hospital demonstrates commitment to being a leader in the care of injured children.
· The hospital has a robust clinical research program.
· The overall high quality of the collaborative clinical services is a strength.
· The injury prevention program is seen as a strength.
“At Vanderbilt, our goal is to continually pursue excellence in all aspects of pediatric emergency care. ACS trauma verification means that Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt has met the highest standards set for a pediatric trauma center, and has taken the hospital to another level of expertise and the highest level of preparation to care for injured children,” said Cristina Estrada, M.D., chief of Pediatric Emergency Medicine.
The ACS also has verified the Vanderbilt University Medical Center Trauma Team, which received verification as a Level I adult trauma center in 2014.
