Huntington Hospital Trauma Center Receives Level II Verification From the Verification Review Committee of the American College of Surgeons

PASADENA, Calif., Feb. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Huntington Hospital Trauma Center has been verified as a Level II trauma center by the Verification Review Committee (VRC), an ad hoc committee of the Committee on Trauma (COT) of the American College of Surgeons (ACS). This achievement recognizes the trauma center's dedication to providing lifesaving care for injured patients.

"We couldn't be more thrilled to receive official approval from the Verification Review Committee," says Amal Obaid, M.D., medical director of the Huntington Hospital Trauma Center.  "This validates the countless hours of effort and planning the trauma team demonstrated by meeting the stringent criteria involved in receiving verification.  I am very proud of our team and confident that our center has everything in place to support the community as the region's only available center to treat traumatic injury." 

Established by the American College of Surgeons in 1987, the COT's Consultation/Verification Program for Hospitals promotes the development of trauma centers so they can provide, not only the hospital resources necessary for trauma care, but the entire spectrum of care necessary to address the needs of all seriously injured patients. This 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 the American College of Surgeons' Committee on Trauma in its current Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient manual.

There are five separate categories of verification in the COT's program. Each category has specific criteria that must be met by a facility seeking that specific level of verification.  Huntington Hospital was reviewed by a team of experienced on-site reviewers who used the current Resources for the Optimal Care of the Injured Patient manual as a guideline in conducting the survey.

Huntington Memorial Hospital is a 626-bed not-for-profit hospital that is home to the only Level II trauma center in the San Gabriel Valley.  In addition to being granted Magnet® status in 2011, Huntington Hospital was named a Best Hospital (regional) by U.S. News and World Report in ten specialties. Renowned for its programs in neurosciences, cardiovascular services and cancer care, Huntington Hospital is an active teaching hospital with Graduate Medical Education programs in internal medicine and general surgery.  Huntington Hospital has a regional neonatal intensive care unit, treating babies with the highest acuity.  For 120 years, Huntington Hospital has been committed to serving its community with excellence, compassion and respect.  Consistent with its mission, the hospital provides millions of dollars annually in charity care, benefits for vulnerable populations, health research, education and training and support programs that may otherwise be absent from the community.  These programs include geriatric psychiatric services, children's asthma management and diabetes workshops in English and Spanish.

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 over 72,000 members and it is the largest association of surgeons in the world. Longstanding achievements have placed the ACS in the forefront of American surgery and have made it an important advocate for all surgical patients.

SOURCE Huntington Memorial Hospital