MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The WVU Critical Care and Trauma Institute Jon Michael Moore Trauma Center at WVU Medicine J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital has again been verified as a Level I Trauma Center and a Level II Pediatric Trauma Center by the Verification Review Committee, an ad hoc committee of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Committee on Trauma (COT). This achievement recognizes the trauma center's dedication to providing optimal care for injured patients.
“Reverification is a confirmation of our dedication to providing the best possible level of trauma care,” Alison Wilson, M.D., executive chair of the WVU Critical Care and Trauma Institute, said. “We never want members of our community to need to take advantage of our services, but we are here to provide specialized care when things happen.”
Established by the ACS in 1987, the COT’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.
Verified trauma centers must meet the essential criteria that ensure trauma care capability and institutional performance, as outlined by COT in its current Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient manual.
“As a pediatric trauma center, having this verification gives our patients’ families peace of mind knowing that we are providing the highest quality care for their children,” Federico Seifarth, M.D., WVU Medicine Children’s surgeon-in-chief, said. “We understand that children are not just small adults and that they require specialized care, especially in a trauma setting.”
The COT’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 authority.
There are five separate categories of verification in the COT’s program, 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, who use the current Resources for the Optimal Care of the Injured Patient manual as a guideline in conducting the survey.
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.
The ACS is a scientific and educational association of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to improve the quality of care for the surgical patient by setting high standards for surgical education and practice. It has more than 80,000 members, and it is the largest association of surgeons in the world.