by Jessica Pasley
Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt has again been verified as a Level I pediatric trauma center by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Committee on Trauma.
As a comprehensive regional pediatric center (CRPC), Children’s Hospital is the only verified Level I pediatric trauma center within 150 miles.
The certification recognizes the hospital’s commitment to provide the highest level of care for injured pediatric patients from Alabama to Kentucky and throughout Tennessee.
It is one of 63 children’s hospitals in the country to have ACS Level 1 pediatric trauma center status and one of two pediatric trauma centers in the state.
“Receiving Level 1 verification from the American College of Surgeons means that the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt is one of the top children’s hospitals in the country,” said Jeffrey Upperman, MD, surgeon-in-chief and chair of the Department of Pediatrics.
“More importantly, it means that Nashville and central Tennessee have access to the best of the best, effective and safe trauma care for children.”
Children’s Hospital’s Pediatric Trauma service admits about 1,200 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 and bicycle wrecks. The hospital first received Level 1 status in 2016.
Achieving verification signifies that Children’s Hospital has voluntarily met criteria that improve the standard of care as outlined by the ACS Committee on Trauma’s current “Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient” manual. The ACS is considered the country’s leading surgical care organization, which seeks to improve the quality of care for surgical patients.
“Maintaining our status as an ACS-verified Level 1 pediatric trauma center confirms that we are providing the highest standard of care to critically injured patients in the region,” said Harold Lovvorn, III, MD, associate professor of Pediatric Surgery and medical director of Pediatric Trauma. “It is also a seal of approval for families that their child is being cared for by the most qualified hands.”
Established by the ACS in 1987, the Committee on Trauma Consultation/Verification Program for Hospitals promotes the development of trauma centers in which participants provide not only the hospital resources necessary for trauma care, but also the entire spectrum of care to address the needs of all injured patients.
An on-site evaluation of the hospital was conducted by a peer review team, experienced in the field of trauma care.
“This is a prestigious achievement that reflects the comprehensive, quality care we provide to the patients we serve in our community,” said Amber Greeno, MSN, APRN, CPNP-ACC, CPN, director of Trauma, Injury Prevention.
“It is only possible through the collaboration and hard work of multiple disciplines across the organization, which includes physicians, bedside staff and behind-the-scenes team members.”
The ACS, the largest association of surgeons in the world, is a scientific and educational association of surgeons founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical education and practice and to improve the care of the surgical patient.
