Billings, Montana, April 19, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Intermountain Health St. Vincent Regional Hospital is proud to announce its official verification as a Level I Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons (ACS), marking a significant milestone in the hospital's commitment to providing top-tier emergency medical care to the community.
“For the past 125 years, St. Vincent has stood as a beacon of trust and expertise in providing lifesaving care,” said Lee Boyles, president of St. Vincent Regional Hospital and the Montana | Wyoming Market for Intermountain Health. “Verification as a Level I Trauma Center is the culmination of the extensive and tireless work of our caregivers in Billings and across Intermountain Health to ensure St. Vincent Regional Hospital continues to be our region’s most trusted trauma center.”
The Level I Trauma Center verification is the highest level of trauma care recognition bestowed by the ACS, signifying St. Vincent’s capability to deliver comprehensive care to the most critically injured patients around the clock, every day of the year. In achieving this accomplishment, St. Vincent demonstrated its ability to provide high-level trauma care to address the needs of all traumatic injuries, in addition to providing resources for education, injury prevention, and research.
“We have worked diligently to meet the stringent criteria set forth by the ACS for Level I Trauma Centers. From initial resuscitation and emergency surgery to intensive care and rehabilitation, St. Vincent is equipped to provide the full spectrum of trauma care," said Dr. Barry McKenzie, trauma medical director at St. Vincent. "This verification reflects our ability to provide rapid, expert care to trauma patients, ensuring the best possible outcomes for those facing life-threatening injuries."
By providing this high-level of definitive care in Montana, fewer traumatically injured patients will need to be transferred out of state for care, allowing them to heal closer to home.
“Ensuring our patients who live in Montana and Wyoming — especially those in rural areas — have access to the most critical care they need when they need it most is core to our mission, and why we are committed to continuously elevating and expanding our lifesaving emergency and trauma services,” said Heather Stamey, senior director of emergency and critical care at St. Vincent. “This Level I verification not only demonstrates our capacity to treat trauma patients close to home but also underscores our commitment to preventing traumatic injuries through community outreach and education programs.”
St. Vincent’s journey to becoming a Level I Trauma Center began in August 2022, when the hospital submitted its application to elevate its trauma center verification from Level II to Level I with the ACS. The hospital’s review year took place from November 2022 through October 2023, and they hosted their site review visit in February of this year. During the ACS’s objective, external review of the hospital’s capability and performance, the peer review team highlighted St. Vincent’s physician leadership, injury prevention and outreach program, and participation in improving our state and regional trauma system.
Qualifications of a Level I Trauma Center verification through the ACS include:
- Surgical residency program
- Caring for a minimum of 1,200 trauma patients each year
- 24/7 in-house coverage
- Specialists in neurosurgery, orthopedics, plastic surgery and other disciplines
- Well-trained nurses and physicians who have experience in trauma care
- Surgery and anesthesia at a moment's notice
- Trauma research
- Trauma training and injury prevention education
- Comprehensive care for critically injured patients, from prevention through rehabilitation
St. Vincent is one of two hospitals in Montana and one of two hospitals in the Intermountain Health system to achieve Level I Trauma Center verification from the ACS.
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