VCU Medical Center re-verified as a Level I trauma center
November 30, 2015
Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU and Evans-Haynes Burn Center receive first and only pediatric and burn provisional designations in the state
By Carissa Etters
University Public Affairs
804-828-7823
cdetters@vcu.edu
Monday, Nov. 30, 2015
“This re-verification is a tribute to the excellence of care that is provided by all our VCU Health teams,” said Marsha Rappley, M.D., vice president of VCU Health Sciences and chief executive officer of VCU Health. “Treating burn patients requires a unique set of skills and expertise from wound care to plastic surgery. Treating children is no different. The work of our pediatric trauma team is another way VCU Health continues to advance children’s health in our community. This designation is continued recognition of the leadership in all aspects of patient-centered trauma care, education, research and injury prevention.”
The Evans-Haynes Burn Center is dedicated to providing holistic care for patients and their families from the point of injury until optimal restoration of function. Evans-Haynes is the only verified burn center by the American Burn Association and the American College of Surgeons in Virginia. It is the regional resource for the care of acute burns and reconstructive needs of burn survivors, and for people injured from fire, chemical, scalds, electrical burns and skin loss injuries from diseases.
“It takes a collaborative team to manage burn patients. From doctors to nurses, care partners physical therapists and many other support services, we are proud of everyone,” said Michael Feldman, M.D., medical director of the Evans-Haynes Burn Center. “This provisional designation reflects the teamwork and our commitment to providing the best care possible to people we serve from across the commonwealth.”
The Children’s Trauma Center at CHoR is equipped to care for severely injured children from Central Virginia and beyond. Children are transported to CHoR directly from the scene of injury and from community hospitals that do not have access to the resources required to care for critically injured children.
"Our designation as the first and only Level I pediatric trauma center in Virginia reflects our commitment to total capability in the management of the injured child,” said Jeffrey Haynes, M.D., director of the Children’s Trauma Center at CHoR. “By being able to provide every needed specialist consultation, we can assure parents of the best-possible outcome for their child. Our ongoing focus is to deliver the best pediatric trauma care possible through research and education. These efforts include the further development of a network of pediatric-capable trauma programs across the state so all injured children will have access to specialized pediatric trauma care.”
Injury prevention is also an important part of CHoR’s Children’s Trauma Center, which includes Safe Kids Virginia, a local chapter of the worldwide agency dedicated to preventing injuries and keeping children safe.
VCU Medical Center is the only Level I trauma center in Central Virginia and one of five in the state. The medical center provides comprehensive, specialized care for severely injured patients of all ages.
“We are honored and privileged to be named a state-designated Level I trauma center,” said Michel Aboutanos, M.D., chief of trauma at VCU Medical Center. “This designation represents a community working together. As a Level I trauma center, we are deeply committed to providing the highest-level quality care, as well as providing resources and education our communities need to stay safe and healthy through prevention. That is what being a Level I center is all about.”
The Virginia designation process is voluntary and the required standards set forth by VDH are based on national standards. The designation period for VCU Medical Center as a Level I trauma center is three years. The provisional designation period for pediatric and burn trauma is one year.
About Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU
Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU is Central Virginia’s only comprehensive, full-service children’s hospital and the only Level I pediatric trauma center in Virginia. CHoR provides pediatric inpatient and outpatient services that cover nearly all children’s health-related needs. As part of VCU Health, CHoR is committed to ensuring access to care for all children, training future pediatric caregivers and making new discoveries that improve understanding and treatment of childhood diseases. For more, see chrichmond.org.About VCU and VCU Health
Virginia Commonwealth University is a major, urban public research university with national and international rankings in sponsored research. Located in downtown Richmond, VCU enrolls more than 31,000 students in 225 degree and certificate programs in the arts, sciences and humanities. Seventy-nine of the programs are unique in Virginia, many of them crossing the disciplines of VCU’s 13 schools and one college. The VCU Health brand represents the health sciences schools of VCU, the VCU Massey Cancer Center and the VCU Health System, which comprises VCU Medical Center (the only academic medical center and Level I trauma center in the region), Community Memorial Hospital, Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU, MCV Physicians and Virginia Premier Health Plan. For more, please visit www.vcu.edu and vcuhealth.org.
