VCU news

By Carissa Etters

The Virginia Department of Health has re-verified Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center as a Level I trauma center. VCU Medical Center has been a state-designated trauma center since 1981, making it the longest-standing trauma center in the state. As part of the designation review, Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU and the Evans-Haynes Burn Center received provisional designations as Level I pediatric trauma and burn centers, respectively. This is the first provisional designation offered by the state in burn and pediatric trauma medicine.

This re-verification is a tribute to the excellence of care that is provided by all our VCU Health teams.

“This re-verification is a tribute to the excellence of care that is provided by all our VCU Health teams,” said Marsha Rappley, M.D., vice president of VCU Health Sciences and chief executive officer of VCU Health. “Treating burn patients requires a unique set of skills and expertise from wound care to plastic surgery. Treating children is no different. The work of our pediatric trauma team is another way VCU Health continues to advance children’s health in our community. This designation is continued recognition of the leadership in all aspects of patient-centered trauma care, education, research and injury prevention.”

The Evans-Haynes Burn Center is dedicated to providing holistic care for patients and their families from the point of injury until optimal restoration of function. Evans-Haynes is the only verified burn center by the American Burn Association and the American College of Surgeons in Virginia. It is the regional resource for the care of acute burns and reconstructive needs of burn survivors, and for people injured from fire, chemical, scalds, electrical burns and skin loss injuries from diseases. 

“It takes a collaborative team to manage burn patients. From doctors to nurses, care partners physical therapists and many other support services, we are proud of everyone,” said Michael Feldman, M.D., medical director of the Evans-Haynes Burn Center. “This provisional designation reflects the teamwork and our commitment to providing the best care possible to people we serve from across the commonwealth.”

The Children’s Trauma Center at CHoR is equipped to care for severely injured children from Central Virginia and beyond. Children are transported to CHoR directly from the scene of injury and from community hospitals that do not have access to the resources required to care for critically injured children.

"Our designation as the first and only Level I pediatric trauma center in Virginia reflects our commitment to total capability in the management of the injured child,” said Jeffrey Haynes, M.D., director of the Children’s Trauma Center at CHoR. “By being able to provide every needed specialist consultation, we can assure parents of the best-possible outcome for their child. Our ongoing focus is to deliver the best pediatric trauma care possible through research and education. These efforts include the further development of a network of pediatric-capable trauma programs across the state so all injured children will have access to specialized pediatric trauma care.”

Injury prevention is also an important part of CHoR’s Children’s Trauma Center, which includes Safe Kids Virginia, a local chapter of the worldwide agency dedicated to preventing injuries and keeping children safe.

VCU Medical Center is the only Level I trauma center in Central Virginia and one of five in the state. The medical center provides comprehensive, specialized care for severely injured patients of all ages.

“We are honored and privileged to be named a state-designated Level I trauma center,” said Michel Aboutanos, M.D., chief of trauma at VCU Medical Center. “This designation represents a community working together. As a Level I trauma center, we are deeply committed to providing the highest-level quality care, as well as providing resources and education our communities need to stay safe and healthy through prevention. That is what being a Level I center is all about.”

The Virginia designation process is voluntary and the required standards set forth by VDH are based on national standards. The designation period for VCU Medical Center as a Level I trauma center is three years. The provisional designation period for pediatric and burn trauma is one year.