Huntington Memorial Hospital Receives Prestigious Level II Trauma Center Verification from the American College of Surgeons

PASADENA, Calif., Jan. 20, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Huntington Hospital Trauma Center has been re-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.

"Our commitment to delivering the highest quality of care to traumatically injured patients has resulted in our re-verification by the American College of Surgeons.  This is the highest level of recognition that a trauma center can receive," says Amal K. Obaid, MD, Huntington Hospital medical director, trauma services. "This reflects the efforts of a multidisciplinary team of nursing staff, medical staff, administration and virtually every department at Huntington Hospital." 

Originally certified in 2011, the verification process occurs every three years. By meeting the extensive standards of this designation, Huntington Memorial Hospital continues its mission to provide high-level care to trauma patients throughout the San Gabriel Valley and beyond.

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 pre-hospital 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, 2006 manual as a guideline in conducting the survey.

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.

Huntington Hospital, www.HuntingtonHospital.com, is a 625-bed not-for-profit hospital located in Pasadena, California. Huntington Hospital has been ranked nationally by U.S. News and World Report in two specialties and was named among the top hospitals in California. Follow Huntington Hospital on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/HuntingtonMemorialHospital and on Twitter at @HuntingtonNews.

SOURCE Huntington Hospital