ATLANTA (Feb. 6, 2023) – The trauma center at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Egleston Hospital has been reverified as a Level 1 Trauma Center by the Verification Review Committee (VRC), an ad-hoc committee of the Committee on Trauma (COT) of the American College of Surgeons (ACS).
Egleston, which was first verified in 2019, is the first and only Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center in Georgia. In 2022, Children’s Scottish Rite Hospital earned verification as a Level 2 Pediatric Trauma Center. Egleston and Scottish Rite are among the highest volume pediatric trauma centers in the U.S. These verifications from the ACS recognize Children’s dedication to providing optimal care for injured patients.
Established by the American College of Surgeons in 1987, the COT Consultation/Verification Program for Hospitals promotes the development of trauma centers in which participants provide not only the hospital resources necessary for trauma care, but also the entire spectrum of care to address the needs of all injured patients. This spectrum encompasses the prehospital phase through the rehabilitation process.
“We are incredibly proud of the ACS reverification of Egleston as a Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center as well as the verification of Scottish Rite as a Level 2 Pediatric Trauma Center,” said Rana Roberts, Director of Trauma and Transport at Children's. “This is a recognition of the stellar work our team at Egleston is doing to treat and prevent pediatric trauma, the No. 1 cause of death in children, and it is an affirmation that these efforts continue to make a difference for families in the communities we serve.”
Verified trauma centers must meet the essential criteria that help ensure trauma care capability and institutional performance, as outlined by the American College of Surgeons' Committee on Trauma in its current Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient manual.
The ACS Committee on Trauma's verification program does not designate trauma centers. Rather, the program provides confirmation that a trauma center has demonstrated its commitment to providing the highest quality trauma care for all injured patients. The actual establishment and designation of trauma centers is the function of local, regional or state healthcare systems agencies, such as the local emergency medical services (EMS) authority.
There are five separate categories of verification in the COT program. Each category has specific criteria that must be met by a facility seeking that level of verification. Each hospital has an onsite review by a team of experienced site reviewers, who use the current Resources for the Optimal Care of the Injured Patient manual as a guideline in conducting the survey.
In 2021, Children’s managed more than 218,000 Emergency Department visits across the system. More than 27,500 children visited Children’s Emergency Departments for trauma care, and Children’s treated about 60% of all pediatric trauma patients in Georgia.
About Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
As the only freestanding pediatric healthcare system in Georgia, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is the trusted leader in caring for kids. The not-for-profit organization’s mission is to make kids better today and healthier tomorrow through more than 60 pediatric specialties and programs, top healthcare professionals, and leading research and technology. Children’s is one of the largest pediatric clinical care providers in the country, managing more than one million patient visits annually at three hospitals, Marcus Autism Center, the Center for Advanced Pediatrics, urgent care centers and neighborhood locations. Consistently ranked among the top children’s hospitals by U.S. News & World Report, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta has impacted the lives of kids in Georgia, across the United States and around the world for more than 100 years thanks to generous support from the community.