NUMC RECEIVES LEVEL I TRAUMA CENTER VERIFICATION FROM
Victor F. Politi, MD, FACP, FACEP Michael B. Mirotznik, Esq.,
President/CEO Chairman Board of Directors
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 18, 2017
PRESS CONTACT:
Shelley Lotenberg
shelley@numc.edu
516-572-6055
East Meadow, NY –Victor F. Politi, MD, FACP, FACEP, NuHealth/Nassau University Medical Center’s President/CEO, proudly announces that the NUMC trauma center has been verified as a Level I 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). The Level I trauma designation, the highest possible designation, is in effect for a period of three years through June 9, 2020.
“Congratulations to the entire NUMC trauma team under the leadership of Dr. L.D. George Angus, trauma medical director, for the commitment and cooperation of all participants so that the best quality trauma care is provided to injured patients in our hospital. This prestigious achievement recognizes the trauma center’s dedication to providing optimal care for injured patients and to prevent injuries before they occur,” stated Dr. Politi.
Established by the American College of Surgeons 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 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. The ACS Committee on Trauma’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 health care systems agencies, such as the local emergency medical services (EMS) authority.
L.D. George Angus, MD, MPH, FACS, stated: “Achieving Level I trauma center is a significant designation for NUMC and a testament to the dedication of the entire staff that provides care to the injured. We take pride in what we do and this designation demonstrates the excellence that we have achieved.”
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 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 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.
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