Home > Media & Press Releases > Press Releases > UMC Receives Level II Pediatric Trauma Center Verification

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

UMC Receives Level II Pediatric Trauma Center Verification

Only Pediatric Trauma Center in Nevada

University Medical Center of Southern Nevada is now a verified Level II Pediatric Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons’ (ACS) Committee on Trauma (COT) and also is designated as such by the State of Nevada. UMC is the only hospital in Nevada to hold this designation.

There are only five hospitals nationwide with an ACS-verified Level II Pediatric Trauma Center designation. There are 16 hospitals with an ACS-verified Level I Pediatric Trauma Center designation.

In October, the American College of Surgeons surveyed UMC’s Trauma program and not only re-verified its Level I Trauma Center, but also verified the program as a Level II Pediatric Trauma Center. These achievements recognize UMC’s dedication to providing optimal care to injured patients.

“We have always provided trauma care to pediatric patients and now we have the official verification from the American College of Surgeons,” said Dr. John Fildes, Medical Director for the UMC Trauma Center and Chairperson of the COT.

Dr. John Gosche, pediatric surgeon, and Dr. Meena Vohra, pediatric intensivist, have been named Assistant Medical Directors of Pediatric Trauma at UMC.

To be designated as a Pediatric Trauma Center, a hospital must be able to provide the same pediatric resources typically available within freestanding children’s hospitals. Additionally, trauma staff must be credentialed in pediatric trauma care.

There were 400 pediatric trauma activations at UMC in 2007. Pediatric patients are defined as patients younger than 15 years of age. An activation is a response level used when patients are received at the hospital.

The UMC Trauma Center was opened in 1992 and is the only free-standing trauma center west of the Mississippi River. The 18,000-square-foot trauma center has 11 resuscitation beds, three operating rooms, an angiography suite and a CT scanner as well as a 14-bed intensive care unit.

Contact Information:
Cheryl Persinger
(702) 383-3860
Cheryl.Persinger@umcsn.com
University Medical Center
1800 West Charleston Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89102