Dear colleagues,

We are pleased to share that UCI Medical Center has once again been verified as a Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center by the Committee on Trauma of the American College of Surgeons (ACS).

UCI was first designated a trauma center in 1982, when Orange County started the nation’s first inclusive regional trauma system. This latest achievement recognizes UCI Health’s ongoing commitment to providing optimal care for the most injured patients—from prevention to treatment to rehabilitation. Last year alone, our physicians and staff treated 52,734 patients in the Emergency Department; 4,148 of them were traumas.

This reverification from ACS means that we have successfully met their stringent criteria, which includes: 24-hour immediate availability of general surgeons and the prompt availability of care in specialties such as orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, anesthesiology, emergency medicine, radiology, internal medicine and critical care. Level I trauma centers must also educate communities about trauma prevention. Our educational efforts include the popular Stop the Bleed courses, in which trauma specialists educate community members and first responders about how to prevent deaths and manage bleeding.

Our reverification is the result of hard work, collaboration and focus within the trauma center and all the specialty areas that support patients with critical needs. We thank the following individuals for their leadership, collaboration and excellent partnership in the verification process:

• Dr. Michael E. Lekawa, director of trauma services and chief, Division of Trauma Critical Care, Acute Care & Burn Surgery
• Stephanie Lush, MSN, RN, trauma program manager
• Colette Baeza, MPH, BSN, director of emergency/trauma services
• Christy Carroll, pediatric trauma injury prevention coordinator