AVMC Trauma Center Receives Re-Verification

The trauma center at Antelope Valley Medical Center (AVMC) has been re-verified as a Level II trauma center, which recognizes its dedication to providing optimal care for injured patients. The verification was issued for the third time since 2009 by the Verification Review Committee, an ad hoc committee of the Committee on Trauma (COT) of the American College of Surgeons (ACS).

AV Hospital houses the only trauma center within 50 miles and cares for more than 1,200 trauma patients each year. Not only is AVMC the only Level II trauma center in northeast Los Angeles County, it has the largest catchment area of any trauma center in the county. Despite seeing some of the sickest and most gravely injured patients, the AVMC trauma center has one of the lowest mortality rates among the county’s 14 trauma centers. For more information about the center, visit AVMC.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,” said 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.”

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 COT found no deficiencies during its intensive two-day, on-site review.

The COT’s verification 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 healthcare systems agencies, such as the local emergency medical services (EMS) authority.

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 AV 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.