SMH earns Level II trauma center recertification

Sarasota Memorial Hospital’s Sarasota campus has been recertified as a Level II Trauma Center following a review of every aspect of its trauma program. A team of American College of Surgeons trauma experts performed the on-site assessment

The county’s only trauma center, SMH-Sarasota is a Level II facility, meaning it is equipped with advanced treatments, technology and trauma surgeons and sub-specialists available 24/7 to provide lifesaving care to the critically injured. 

Florida trauma centers undergo recertification every seven years to demonstrate compliance with state rules governing higher levels of care that trauma centers provide. In its first renewal survey since opening, the SMH-Sarasota trauma team met or exceeded all national benchmarks with no deficiencies noted by the assessment team.

 “Our trauma program strengthens the safety net of care available in the community, delivering a level of care not available in most hospitals at a time when people need it most,” said Sarasota Memorial Health Care System CEO David Verinder. “We are extremely proud of our trauma team and the lifesaving care they deliver every day.”

The Sarasota County Public Hospital Board approved the funds and resources to open the local trauma center in 2015. In its first year, the trauma team cared for more than 1,000 patients. Presently, it treats about 4,800 patients a year with survival rates significantly higher than national benchmarks.

The SMH trauma center includes specially equipped trauma bays, operating rooms, a trauma intensive care unit, trauma step-down and progressive units, and specialty nursing and rehab units. In 2016, the hospital’s Rehabilitation Pavilion opened, further promoting the recovery process for trauma and other patients recovering from injury, illness or disease.