The Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery focuses on community outreach and injury prevention efforts including bringing Stop the Bleed courses to schools, churches, and other groups throughout the state.The University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital has been reverified as a Level I adult trauma center by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma and remains the only ACS-Level I adult trauma center in the state of Alabama.
UAB Medicine became a verified Level I trauma center in 1999 and has maintained Level I verification status continuously since that time.
“We are proud to have consistently been verified by the Committee on Trauma for the past 26 years,” said Jeffrey Kerby, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery. “This achievement emphasizes our ongoing mission to lead the way in trauma care by constantly improving and innovating to meet the needs of our patients.”
The ACS offers three levels of trauma center verification for adult hospitals and two for pediatric hospitals. Level I verification is reserved for the most robust and extensive trauma centers that have advanced capabilities and access to various specialists. Level I trauma centers are equipped to provide total care of trauma patients — from injury through rehabilitation.
Level I trauma centers must be capable of providing system leadership and comprehensive trauma care for all injuries. In its central role, a Level I trauma center must have adequate depth of resources and personnel. Most Level I trauma centers are university-based teaching hospitals due to the resources required for patient care, education and research. In addition to providing acute trauma care, these centers have an important role in local trauma system development, regional disaster planning, increasing capacity and advancing trauma care through research.
UAB was reviewed by an on-site team experienced in the field of trauma care. Some of the requirements to be an ACS-verified Level I trauma center are:
- 24-hour in-house coverage
- Immediate access to specialties such as orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, and oral and maxillofacial care
- Leads injury-prevention programs in surrounding communities
- Incorporates quality assessment programs
- Leads teaching and research efforts to drive new innovations in trauma care
UAB cares for more than 6,500 patients annually — over one-third of all trauma patients in the state of Alabama — and maintains a survival rate of over 96 percent.
Compared to other trauma centers nationwide with similar volumes and injury severity, UAB is in the top 10 percent for survival outcomes for all patients overall, as well as elderly patients, severe traumatic brain injury patients, and patients who sustained penetrating or blunt multisystem injuries.
“Our trauma program requires significant and continuous investments to ensure we are always ready to deliver the best possible care to those who have suffered traumatic injuries,” said UAB Trauma Medical Director Daniel Cox, M.D., “I am incredibly proud to be a part of an institution that prioritizes the health and well-being of our state by providing this essential service.”
UAB Hospital is committed to provide the best care to the most severely injured across the state 24/7, 365 days a year. At least two trauma surgeons are on site at all times. The trauma division also relies on other specialists and subspeciality services including burn care, wound care, emergency medicine, neurosurgery, radiology, anesthesia, physical medicine and rehabilitation, social work, chaplains, and orthopedic, vascular, thoracic, plastic, and oral and maxillofacial surgery.
“Every member of our trauma care team, as well as our multidisciplinary colleagues, gives their all every day so we can be ‘Always Here, Always Ready,’” Kerby said. “Their dedication and commitment allow us to give the highest level of care to our patients during their time of need.”