ABERDEEN, S.D. (Press Release) — The trauma center at Avera St. Luke’s Hospital continues to be the only Level III Trauma Center in the region, as recently verified by the Verification Review Committee, an ad hoc committee of the Committee on Trauma of the American College of Surgeons.

The achievement both recognizes and ensures that Avera St. Luke’s has all of the resources to provide optimal care for an injured patient. That includes its commitment, readiness, policies, and patient care, as well as performance improvement.

“While we certainly don’t hope for injured patients, we take great pride in that when unfortunate circumstances warrant emergency trauma care, we can and will provide it for Aberdeen and the surrounding communities. Patients can take great comfort in the trauma center’s Level III verification and the kind of care he or she will receive at Avera St. Luke’s, right here in town,” said Todd Forkel, CEO and Regional Vice President of Avera St. Luke’s and Avera St. Mary’s hospitals.

The trauma center’s verification will extend through September 27, 2022. Avera St. Luke’s was first verified as a Level III Trauma Center in 2013.

Established by the American College of Surgeons in 1987, the COT’s Consultation/Verification Program for Hospitals promotes the development of trauma centers in which participants provide not only the hospital resources necessary for trauma care, but also the entire spectrum of care to address the needs of all injured patients. This spectrum encompasses the prehospital phase through the rehabilitation process.

Verified trauma centers must meet the essential criteria that ensure trauma care capability and institutional performance, as outlined by the American College of Surgeons’ Committee on Trauma in its current Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient manual.

The ACS Committee on Trauma’s verification program does not designate trauma centers. Rather, the program provides confirmation that a trauma center has demonstrated its commitment to providing the highest quality trauma care for all injured patients. The actual establishment and the designation of trauma centers is the function of local, regional, or state health care systems agencies, such as the local emergency medical services authority.

There are five separate categories of verification in the COT’s program. Each category has specific criteria that must be met by a facility seeking that level of verification (see attachment to this press release). Each hospital has an on-site review by a team of experienced site reviewers, who use the current Resources for the Optimal Care of the Injured Patient manual as a guideline in conducting the survey.

The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational association of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical education and practice and to improve the care of the surgical patient. The College has over 72,000 members and it is the largest association of surgeons in the world. Longstanding achievements have placed the ACS in the forefront of American surgery and have made it an important advocate for all surgical patients.