Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital (VWCH) has received approval as a state-verified provisional Level III Trauma Center, making it the first and only hospital able to provide this higher level of care in Wilson County.
“Having a Level III Trauma Center is an asset for our community,” said Scott McCarver, MHA, President of VWCH. “No longer do our neighbors need to go to Nashville to receive high-level care — they can stay closer to home where family can be with them more.”
The provisional Level III designation recognizes VWCH’s ability to provide 24-hour, immediate care by emergency physicians and quick availability of trauma-trained surgeons and anesthesiologists. Trauma centers are also held to a higher quality standard, ranging from patient care to patient reviews of their experience. Leadership expects the provisional approval to become a finalized designation next year.
“VWCH dramatically building up the types and quality of care it can provide to obtain this Level III status is a key milestone for Vanderbilt Health’s vision for higher-quality care in communities across the region,” said Andrew Hopper, MD, trauma medical director at VWCH.
In 2019, Vanderbilt Health acquired the Wilson County hospital, making it a part of its growing system of hospitals and clinics. It is also a member of the Vanderbilt Health Affiliated Network, a collaboration among hospitals and health care providers that includes 60 hospital locations, 6,000+ clinical providers and nearly 120 quick care options located across six states.
“Trauma center designation requires a commitment to readiness, the latest evidence-based protocols for patient care, and staff specialized in trauma care,” said Alex Jahangir, MD, MMHC, professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Medicine and executive medical director of the Trauma Patient Care Center. “I’m grateful to Dr. Hopper and the staff at VWCH for ensuring all these components are in place and giving the Wilson County community the best in trauma care.”
“Many of the improvements made to achieve this designation provide benefits far beyond the emergency department,” said Hopper. “Trauma centers also have a community outreach component, which is why you’ll be seeing more and more of our clinicians and staff in the community providing education and community service.”
The entirety of VWCH now has access to capabilities including interventional radiology, which is used as a treatment for cancer and other conditions without major surgery, urology coverage, round-the-clock anesthesia coverage and expanded availability of life-saving blood products.
Additional significant investments have been made in the building’s overall infrastructure, faculty, equipment and more.
“I am thankful for the hard work and care Scott, Dr. Hopper and the rest of the Vanderbilt Health team have put into this effort,” said Wilson County Mayor Randall Hutto. “There’s a daily need for this level of care and it becomes absolutely indispensable in crises like the 2020 tornado outbreak. When this and surrounding communities were hit, there was no option other than going to Nashville, which was made more difficult by obstructed roads and bad weather that grounded LifeFlight. We can now care for our community in our community.”
