CONCORDIA -- Cloud County Health Center has received its initial designation as a Level IV Trauma Center by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE).
The designation is good for three years, until 2023, at which time the hospital will be required to recertify to continue as a Level IV Trauma Center. Designated trauma centers must meet the essential criteria that ensure trauma care capability and institutional performance as outlined by the American College of Surgeons and endorsed by the Kansas Advisory Committee on Trauma.
“We know injuries are a leading cause of death and disability in Kansas. KDHE’s Trauma Program works to ensure those who are injured in Kansas have access to an organized system of trauma care that offers them the best chance of recovery,” said KDHE Secretary Lee A. Norman, M.D. “On behalf of families and visitors in our state, we acknowledge Cloud County Health Center for its commitment to provide care to trauma patients in Kansas.”
Level IV Trauma Centers are hospitals that have a primary role of stabilizing seriously injured patients and, if necessary, transferring them to a higher-level trauma center. Hospitals that have achieved Level IV trauma center designation have demonstrated a commitment to providing optimal care for those who have been seriously injured.
There are four separate categories of designation by the Kansas Trauma Program. Each category has specific criteria that must be met by a facility seeking that level of designation. A trauma care system includes a network of hospitals providing a spectrum of care for injured patients. Trauma center designations are based on the hospital’s care capability, from the highest, Level I, to hospitals designated Level IV.