MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The Jon Michael Moore Trauma Center at WVU Healthcare has received full three-year verification as a Level I Trauma Center and a Level II Pediatric Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons. This achievement recognizes the Trauma Center’s dedication to providing optimal care for injured patients.
“There are less than 200 Level I Trauma Centers in the nation, which means that we are among the small group of hospitals in the country that can provide the highest level of care for the acutely injured patient,” Alison Wilson, M.D., Trauma Center director, said. “This verification means we meet or exceed the highest level of patient care services, education and training of our physicians, nurses and therapists.”
There are five separate categories of verification, with Level I being the highest. Each category has specific criteria that must be met by a facility seeking that level of verification. Each hospital has an on-site review by a team of experienced site reviewers.
“The work to achieve these designations wasn’t done by just one person or one department. It took a whole team of people, including medical subspecialties, nurses, therapists, intensive care unit staff, nutrition support, blood bank, labs and physicians to get us here,” Dr. Wilson said. “The patients who come here can rest assured that they are receiving the most comprehensive level of care available.”
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 more than 72,000 members, and it is the largest association of surgeons in the world. Longstanding achievements have placed it in the forefront of American surgery and have made it an important advocate for all surgical patients.
The Jon Michael Moore Trauma Center was established in the 1980s with assistance from Sen. Robert C. Byrd and is named for his late grandson, who died in a traffic accident.