Greenwich Hospital welcomes community to celebrate newly verified Level III Trauma Center
July 11, 2024 at 1:00 a.m.
In April, Greenwich Hospital was designated as a Level III Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACS COT) and the State of Connecticut. To honor the milestone, the hospital hosted Greenwich Hospital: Transforming Trauma Care – Celebrating and Educating, welcoming members of the community to the hospital’s campus for a day of educational fun, filled with interactive exhibits and information on trauma centers on Sunday, June 23.
Community spirit was abuzz with representatives from the Greenwich Fire Department, Greenwich Emergency Medical Services and Connecticut State Police on site to provide insight into their roles in coordinating with trauma centers. Exhibits included a seatbelt convincer, virtual goggles to simulate intoxication, bike helmet fittings and car seat safety demonstrations. Ambulance and fire truck tours were also available for the children.
Medical Director of Trauma Athanassios Petrotos, MD, FACS, who had an information table at the event on the Stop the Bleed program, weighed in on the new verification. “Becoming a Level III Trauma Center is not only a testament to the outstanding and innovative work done at Greenwich Hospital, but a valuable resource for the community,” said Dr. Petrotos. “With this new status we can now better accommodate local trauma patients who would otherwise have to travel farther distances to be treated. It’s going to be extremely beneficial for both our staff and patients.”
There are three levels of ACS trauma center verification, each defined by specific standards that speak to the important roles of the center in serving its community. These standards clarify the care that must be available to the injured patient at the facility, along with other expectations related to research and educational contributions to advance the field and to ensure the availability of highly qualified trauma providers in the future.
“It's a monumental achievement in the 100+ year history of Greenwich Hospital,” said President Diane Kelly, DNP, RN. “This new designation was made possible by a collective desire to enhance our community impact. The entire staff should feel very proud about reaching this significant milestone and I could not be more excited to see where this takes us moving forward.”
The ACS Trauma Verification, Review and Consultation (VRC) Program helps hospitals to evaluate and improve their trauma care. It provides an objective, external review of a trauma center’s resources and performance. A team of trauma experts completes a site review of the hospital. The team assesses relevant components of the program including their regional role(s), the availability of physical and health human resources, policies, patient care protocols and the hospital’s quality improvement processes. Of note, patients cared for in ACS-verified trauma centers have a lower risk of death and improved quality of life compared with patients in non-verified centers.
As an ACS-verified trauma center, Greenwich Hospital also becomes an ACS Surgical Quality Partner. Being a Surgical Quality Partner signifies a hospital’s dedication to consistently improving procedures and approaches, while maintaining a critical eye on process at every step. “ACS Quality programs are grounded in more than a century of experience, and participation is an important measure of a hospital’s surgical quality. As an ACS Surgical Quality Partner, Greenwich Hospital has shown a commitment providing the best possible patient care, evaluating that care in a rigorous fashion and dedicating themselves to continuous self-improvement,” said ACS Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer Patricia L. Turner, MD, FACS.
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