LANCASTER —The trauma center at Antelope Valley Hospital has been re-verified as a Level II trauma center. The verification was issued for the third time since 2009 by the Verification Review Committee, an ad hoc committee of the American College of Surgeons’ Committee on Trauma.
The Committee on Trauma’s verification program provides confirmation that a trauma center has demonstrated its commitment to providing the highest quality trauma care for all injured patients. There are five categories of trauma verification in the program, each of which has specific criteria that must be met. Level II trauma center verification means Antelope Valley Hospital is able to initiate definitive care for all injured patients and provide 24-hour immediate coverage by general surgeons, as well as coverage by the specialties of orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, anesthesiology, emergency medicine, radiology and critical care.
AVH houses the only trauma center within 50 miles and cares for more than 1,200 trauma patients each year. It is the only Level II trauma center in northeast Los Angeles County and has the largest catchment area of any trauma center in the county.
Despite seeing some of the sickest and most gravely injured patients, the AVH trauma center has one of the lowest mortality rates among the county’s 14 trauma centers. For more information about the center, visit avhospital.org/services/traumacenter.
“Whether patients are brought in by ambulance or helicopter, our dedicated emergency department and trauma center team are immediately available to provide life-saving care when minutes matter,” stated Pavel Petrik, M.D., trauma medical director and chair of the department of surgery. “This verification is a tribute to our ongoing commitment to providing the highest standard of care close to home.”
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 Committee on Trauma found no deficiencies at the AVH trauma center during its intensive two-day, on-site review.
[Information via news release from Antelope Valley Hospital.]
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