Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center Reverified as Level III Trauma Center

Jasper- Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center has been reverified 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 Memorial Hospital’s dedication to providing optimal care for injured patients.

E. Kyle Bennett, President and CEO of Memorial Hospital, stated, “Caregivers at Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center have shown their commitment to patients in the communities we serve by providing the highest level of care in the region. Our re-verification as a Level III trauma center is very important to the local communities we serve and important to us. It means that if someone is involved in a trauma situation, they can be brought here instead of having to be transported elsewhere for care farther away.”

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.

Memorial Hospital was first verified as a Level III trauma center in 2018. The reverification, which had been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, will last three years, through May 16, 2025.

Dr. Joanne Leibe, Trauma Medical Director, stated, “Verification is confirmed after a very close two-day examination by the ACS, but the work behind the scenes never ends. It involves our whole organization plus the community. It involves processes and training of not only our staff, but all first responders – anyone who would be involved in the care of a trauma patient. It’s also perfecting the relationships with higher level trauma centers for instances when transfers need to take place.” 

There are five separate categories of verification in the COT's program: Level I Trauma Center, Level II Trauma Center, Level III Trauma Center, Level I Pediatric Trauma Center and Level II Pediatric Trauma Center, each with specific criteria that must be met by a facility seeking that level of verification.

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.