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Children's National Health System Trauma Center Receives Highest Verification From American College Of Surgeons

Washington, DC—Children’s National Health System has been reverified as a Level I Pediatric Trauma Center by the Committee on Trauma of the American College of Surgeons (ACS). This verification recognizes Children’s dedication to providing optimal care for injured children throughout the Washington, DC, region.

“Receiving reverification highlights the expert level of our team and program,” said Randall Burd, MD, PhD, Chief of the Division of Trauma and Burn Surgery at Children’s National. “It also highlights our ability to meet the needs of critically injured children and deliver to them the highest quality healthcare in the region.”

Verified trauma centers must meet the essential criteria that ensure trauma care capability and institutional performance, as outlined by the American College of Surgeons' Committee on Trauma in its current Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient manual. The ACS Committee on Trauma's verification program does not designate trauma centers. Rather, the program provides confirmation that a trauma center has demonstrated its commitment to providing the highest quality trauma care for all injured patients. The actual establishment and the designation of trauma centers is the function of local, regional, or state healthcare systems agencies, such as the local emergency medical services (EMS) authority.

The Division of Trauma and Burn Surgery at Children’s National is an acute response team representing surgery, emergency medicine, and nursing, to provide immediate intervention when a critically injured or burned child arrives at Children’s. Children’s National is the only acute care hospital in the region dedicated solely to children. Working in harmony with Emergency Medicine specialists, the Trauma and Burn Surgery team provides a full range of diagnostic services and treatment to meet the needs of acutely ill or injured patients.

Established by ACS in 1987, the Verification/Consultation 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. Children’s National Health System has been verified by the ACS continuously for more than 20 years. 


Contact:
Emily Hartman, 202-476-4500.
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