
Fort Belvoir Community Hospital. File photo.
Belvoir Hospital receives Trauma Center verification
Fort Belvoir Community Hospital has received Level lll Trauma Center verification after demonstrating its ability to provide prompt assessment, surgery, intensive care and emergency operations.
The recognition by the American College of Surgeons is an indication of the hospital’s continued dedication to providing high-quality acute care to residents in the region and the military health system, said Col. Kathy Spangler, director of the hospital.
“It’s an incredible milestone to celebrate becoming a verified Level III trauma center,” Spangler said in an announcement Monday. “This rigorous verification process validates Fort Belvoir Hospital’s commitment to providing the highest quality trauma care for all injured patients with immediate access to advanced life-saving capabilities.”
The Level III Trauma Center verification has a positive impact on military readiness, she noted. Trauma care is multidisciplinary, and the management of trauma patients requires a systematic approach that is used for every trauma patient who arrives at the facility. This same approach is used to treat war casualties in deployed situations, essentially providing readiness training for all staff members.
Hospitals seeking verification must undergo intense scrutiny by reviewers from the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma every three years. To be verified, the hospital must demonstrate its ability to provide a broad spectrum of trauma care resources to address the needs of all injured patients.
The Committee on Trauma has five separate categories of verification. Each category has specific criteria that must be met by a facility seeking that level of verification. According to Virginia Health Information, Fort Belvoir Community Hospital joins several other nearby hospitals with advanced trauma specialization, including: Sentara Northern Virginia, Woodbridge; Inova Fairfax, Falls Church; Inova Loudon, Leesburg; and Mary Washington, Fredericksburg.
By InsideNoVa Staff