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WVU Trauma Center Earns Dual Recognition

State, National Level One Certification is Recognized

Morgantown, W.V. – The Jon Michael Moore Trauma Center at WVU Hospitals has been verified as a Level One center by both the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma and the State of West Virginia. The designation, a renewal of the status first recognized by ACS in 2001, means that the hospital meets or exceeds all national standards for the care of severely injured persons

The Center, which treats more than 3,000 patients a year, is the only ACS verified Level One trauma center in West Virginia, and one of only about 100 in the United States. To achieve this verification, a hospital must meet strict, voluntary national standards for the care of injured persons. The verification is granted only after an on-site review by a team of experienced trauma surgeons.

The center was also recently re-designated by West Virginia's Office of Emergency Medical Systems as a Level One center. The state has two such designated centers; the other is at CAMC in Charleston.

“Operating a trauma center 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, is a tremendous undertaking that involves hundreds of people,” says WVU President Bruce McClymonds. “But it's something we want to do and it's consistent with our mission and our position as a safety net hospital for the State of West Virginia.”

On Wednesday, (Nov. 30) WVU Hospitals held a ceremony to mark the dual honor.

WVU's center is one of only a handful of nationally recognized Level One trauma centers serving a mostly rural population. It was created in the 1980s with the assistance and support of U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd, and is named for his grandson, Jon Michael Moore, who died as the result of an automobile crash.

“The doctors and nurses at the Jon Michael Moore Trauma Center work each day to help other families cope with trauma and tragedy,” said Senator Byrd in a letter read at the ceremony. “My grandson would be most humbled to have this facility named in his memory, but, more importantly, he would be proud of its incredible record of saving lives from tragedy. It is a tremendous legacy.”

“Part of a Level One trauma center's obligation is in injury prevention and research," says Lawrence Roberts, MD, FACS, director of the Jon Michael Moore Trauma Center. "Our relationship with the WVU Injury Prevention Center and injury prevention community outreach programs speaks to our commitment to decreasing the number and severity of injury.”

WVU's trauma team works closely with emergency service providers from throughout the region, including EMS services, the HealthNet helicopter, and emergency departments at other hospitals.

"The citizens of West Virginia can be proud of the progress and improvements that have occured in the last few years with the implementation of a Statewide Inclusive Rural Trauma System,” said William D. Ramsey, M.D., WV State EMS Medical Director. “The national verification and state designation of WVUH as a Level 1 trauma center and the progress and accomplishments of other hospitals throughout the state, places West Virginia in the position of being a national model for rural trauma systems."