UTMB Health’s League City Campus Hospital recently earned Level 3 Trauma Facility designation, an achievement that furthers the organization’s mission of developing one of the largest, most comprehensive trauma networks in the region.
Certification as a Level 3 center followed a site visit by state regulators to evaluate the entire hospital’s ability to appropriate care for injured patients. The verification process itself required more than a year of preparation and a great deal of hard work involving all departments in the hospital with support from administration to ensure that all the pieces were in place to care for these patients, said Dr. Michael Norman, Trauma Medical Director at the League City Campus.
“This certification will help the League City Campus provide timely care for the injured patients in our community at all levels; from the Emergency Department to the operating room or intensive care unit,” Norman said. “Trauma certification provides a framework for what can be taken care of at the League City Campus, and it streamlines the process of transferring patients to higher level of care at our other trauma centers in the area.”
The League City Hospital Campus is the second UTMB location to earn Level 3 trauma status in as many years. In 2021, the trauma facility at the UTMB Health Clear Lake Campus earned a Level 3 designation, defined by the American College of Surgeons as having resources for the emergency resuscitation, surgery and intensive care of most trauma patients.
UTMB Health’s League City Campus Hospital is on a journey to become a Primary Stroke Center by the end of 2022.
This certification will help the UTMB Stroke Program’s mission of becoming the most comprehensive, highest quality and well-coordinated stroke network in the region, officials said.
“I foresee our League City hospital becoming the hub for stroke care serving one of the fastest growing cities in the United States,” said Dr. Hashem Shaltoni, UTMB Health’s Stroke Program Coordinator.
The certification from Det Norske Veritas (DNV) would recognize the League City hospital has the necessary staffing, infrastructure and programs to stabilize and treat most emergent stroke patients. In addition to possessing the capabilities of an Acute Stroke Ready facility, a Primary Stroke Center can provide treatment to a broader range of stroke conditions and is able to provide some acute therapies, as well as admit patients to a designated stroke unit or to beds, specifically assigned for stroke care.
Additional functions of a Primary Stroke Center may be to act as a resource center for other facilities in its region, including being a main transfer site for stabilized patients from an Acute Stroke Ready facility. This can include offering guidance for triage of patients, providing expertise about managing cases, making diagnostic tests or treatments available to patients treated initially at an Acute Stroke Ready facility and being an educational resource for other hospitals and health care professionals in a region.