Trident Medical Center in North Charleston has been designated a Level II trauma center by the South Carolina Bureau of EMS and Trauma, Trident Health announced Thursday.
The notification completes a nearly two-year process of preparation by the hospital and review by the state, according to Trident Health. The hospital has operated as a Level III trauma center since 2011.
“In the last four years, we have more than doubled the number of trauma patients we care for,” said Todd Gallati, Trident Medical Center’s chief executive officer. “During that period we’ve grown from treating nearly 300 trauma patients annually to more than 1,000.”
As a Level II center, Trident will meet the same requirements as a Level I trauma center for having its entire trauma team available, from physicians and nurses to support staff, the hospital said. The American College of Surgeons and the American College of Emergency Physicians will review the program regularly.
Shelby Rivera, a registered nurse and the hospital’s trauma director, said many of its trauma surgeons gained experience operating in combat as military surgeons.
“Our surgeons are all double-boarded in surgery and surgery critical care. The majority have had multiple combat deployments or served as faculty at Level I trauma centers,” Rivera said.
Gallati said the designation lets emergency medical services crews know exactly what the hospital can do for trauma patients. Car and motorcycle crashes, burns, gunshot wounds, sports injuries and falls are among the injuries the hospital treats most often, he said.
“I can’t be any prouder than I am of our team,” Gallati said.
Trident Medical Center is part of Trident Health, an affiliate of Hospital Corporation of America that also runs Summerville Medical Center.
