The trauma centers at UC Medical Center and West Chester Hospital have received re-verification from the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma, a recognition of the outstanding medical and surgical care that UC Health provides to injured patients.
UC Medical Center is Greater Cincinnati’s only Level I trauma center for adults, which means that the highest level of specialists and resources for the most complex injuries is available at a moment’s notice. The hospital first received trauma verification from the American College of Surgeons in 1996 and has maintained this verification for the past 25 years.
West Chester Hospital has been a Level III trauma center since 2013, providing Butler County and the surrounding communities with the highest quality trauma care by the same physicians who practice at UC Medical Center.
“We are proud that both of our trauma centers have been re-verified by the American College of Surgeons. Serving all of Greater Cincinnati, UC Health is a model trauma system for the tri-state region. Our hospitals provide a level of expertise for trauma patients that is unparalleled within our community,” said Jenny Lemmink, MSN, trauma program manager at UC Medical Center, and Jenifer Brodsky, RN, trauma program manager at West Chester Hospital.
Both hospitals voluntarily seek trauma re-verification from the American College of Surgeons every three years as part of UC Health’s commitment to ensuring that all patients receive the most advanced specialty care for complex injuries and illnesses. The rigorous re-verification process includes achievement by the trauma center of over 300 essential criteria and, this year, a virtual visit in place of the usual onsite visit by a team of experienced trauma center reviewers.
UC Health cares for more than 6,000 trauma patients each year, and falls are the most common source of injury. The dedicated trauma team at UC Health includes clinicians and staff who are specially-trained to provide advanced medical care for a wide range of traumatic injuries. UC Health provides the full spectrum of trauma services: from pre-hospital coordination with emergency responders at the scene, through treatment and rehabilitation.
In 2021, UC Health launched Greater Cincinnati’s first Trauma Survivors Network to help victims of trauma and their families through the emotional recovery process.
The trauma specialists at UC Health also study how injuries happen and find ways to prevent them. That science-based approach includes prevention and outreach programs such as Stop the Bleed, where UC Health experts help train community members in bleeding cessation techniques to help save lives before a patient reaches the hospital, as well as extensive basic, translational, and clinical research into treatments for traumatic injuries.
Established by the American College of Surgeons in 1987, the Committee on Trauma’s 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. This spectrum encompasses the prehospital phase through the rehabilitation process.
The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational association of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical education and practice and to improve the care of the surgical patient. The College has over 72,000 members and it is the largest association of surgeons in the world. Longstanding achievements have placed the ACS in the forefront of American surgery and have made it an important advocate for all surgical patients.