Nemours/A.I. duPont Hospital for Children was recognized Tuesday for its outstanding 24-7 treatment of the most serious injuries to children.
The hospital is now officially designated a Level 1 pediatric trauma center by the state Division of Public Health.
The center was given a provisional Level 1 status in January of 2013, but earned full status recently after rigorous analysis of care by the American College of Surgeons (ACS).
To qualify hospitals must show they can successfully handle a high volume of difficult cases and perform advanced procedures.
But the hospital’s Trauma and Critical Care Transport Program director Diane Hochstuhl says she considers successful round-the-clock treatment of the most serious injuries a team effort.
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“We’re part of a wonderful trauma system, so every hospital in the state of Delaware is a certain level trauma center," Hochstuhl said So the rest of the hospitals in the state have worked also hand-in-hand with us to get us to this point.
State Trauma System Manager Mary Sue Jones says as Delaware’s only level one pediatric trauma center, A.I. is at the top of statewide network of emergency care that handles patients based on available resources at other centers and the degree of urgency decided by emergency responders.
“They know where the patient needs to be," said Jones. "If they need to, they can go to a local trauma center - a local hospital that is a trauma center - and they can transfer the patient then. Or they can go directly from the scene to DuPont.”
Division of Public Health director Dr. Karyl Rattay says having a destination with the appropriate resources for the patients' needs saves lives.
"To have a level one trauma center specifically focused on the pediatric population is huge for us because injury is the leading cause of death for most age groups of children," she said.
A.I.'s pediatric trauma center saw over a thousand patients in 2013 while the hospital was operating as a provisional Level 1 facility.
The Level One designation is good for 3 years before the hospital is then subject to review by the ACS as part of the renewal process.
The Level 1 status announcement comes as A.I. nears completion of a major expansion that will double its capacity to treat sick and injured children.