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IU Health Arnett Hospital Named Indiana’s First Level III Trauma Center
The trauma center at Indiana University Health Arnett Hospital has been verified as a Level III 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 optimal care for injured patients.
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. The spectrum encompasses the prehospital phase through the rehabilitation process.
Dr. Marc Estes, Medical Director of Emergency Medicine at IU Health Arnett Hospital, said this is a big step for the hospital.
“It is an exciting step for IU Health Arnett and our community to be the first hospital in the state to hold the Level III title,” Dr. Estes said. “Our team of highly skilled physicians has worked hard toward achieving this certification and we are proud to be able to offer this resource to our community.”
IU Health Arnett Trauma Program Manager, Amanda Rardon, RN, BS said one benefit of becoming a Level III Trauma Center is surgeon presence at the bedside within 30 minutes for the most severely injured patients.
“Becoming a trauma center means that our facility has the ability to stabilize and provide initial treatment to any patient with traumatic injury,” Rardon said. “As a trauma center, we evaluate the care of the patient from the time EMS is dispatched all the way through rehabilitation.”
In 2013, Indiana University Health reported that its hospitals would be taking deliberate steps to provide organized system-wide trauma care closer to people in the mid-portion of the state between Indianapolis and the four corners. IU Health Arnett Hospitals recent designation plays a key role in that service.
