Sanford Health offers region’s only pediatric trauma center

The team at Sanford USD Medical Center’s Trauma 5 Emergency Department has always been dedicated to treating patients, young and old, especially those in traumatic situations. As a result, for 16 years, they’ve been verified as a Level II Adult Trauma Center.

Now, another accomplishment: Level II Pediatric Trauma Center.

The American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma recently announced this significant achievement, making Sanford the first and only verified Level II Pediatric Trauma Center in the region.

“ This is a wonderful step forward for the care of the pediatric trauma patient in our region. To know that a pediatric specialist is involved in your child’s care from the moment they arrive at Trauma 5 through their rehabilitation should be comforting,” said Pediatric Trauma Director and Pediatric Surgeon Adela Casas-Melley, MD, FACS, FAAP.”

The verification means from the first moment a child needs emergency treatment, they and their family will have access to an experienced and dedicated team of board certified pediatric surgeons, a dedicated trauma flight team and rapid access to state-of-the-art operating rooms. Following treatment at Trauma 5, Sanford Children’s Hospital is right on campus, should a patient need to stay for awhile.

Pediatric Surgeon Jon Ryckman, MD, added, “Having a pediatric trauma center should reassure parents that their child is being treated within the best possible system with pediatric specialists ranging from physicians, to nurses, to child life specialists and so forth.”

Sanford USD Medical Center also received re-verification by the American College of Surgeons Committee as a Level II Adult Trauma Center.

“The re-verification as a Level II Adult Trauma Center and the new distinction of Level II Pediatric Trauma Center are further proof that Trauma 5 goes beyond providing superior care to the patient. The region is fortunate to have the level of trauma care we offer,” said Gary Timmerman, MD, FACS, Sanford Health Trauma Medical Director.

Sanford requested the adult and pediatric trauma verification, which included an on-site review of Trauma 5. All five of the necessary criteria to gain verification were met. The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational association of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical education and practice and to be an important advocate for all surgical patients.