Newswise — NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH), in collaboration with Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, has become the first hospital in New Jersey to be verified as a Pediatric Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons (ACS).
RWJUH’s trauma center has a long history of treating injured children and sought an additional level of verification this past April. The ACS Committee on Trauma’s verification program confirms that a trauma center has demonstrated its commitment to providing the highest quality trauma care for all injured patients from the prehospital phase through the rehabilitation process. Verified trauma centers are required to meet the essential criteria outlined in Resources for the Optimal Care of the Injured Patient.
As a result of a survey conducted in the spring, the hospital’s pediatric trauma program was verified as a Pediatric Trauma Center.
In addition, RWJUH’s Level I Adult Trauma Center was reverified for the eighth consecutive time.
“New Jersey always has been a leader in the acute care and management of pediatric patients. The founding and ACS verification of the first Pediatric Trauma Center in the history of New Jersey at RWJUH, the Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital (BMSCH) at RWJUH and Robert Wood Johnson Medical School are a natural progression of our shared commitment and vision,” said Vicente H. Gracias, M.D., professor of surgery and chief of Trauma/Surgical Critical Care at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and medical director of the adult and pediatric trauma centers at RWJUH.
The entire RWJUH trauma team, from surgeons to nurses to support personnel and administrators, are fully and completely dedicated to improving the outcome from traumatic injuries for all of our children, said Pediatric Trauma Program Director Perry Stafford, M.D., professor of surgery and chief, Division of Pediatric Surgery, at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
“The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital was opened 10 years ago in New Brunswick to provide expert, comprehensive pediatric care for all the children in central New Jersey. As an important part of the hospital's mission, children with traumatic injuries have received specialized trauma care by RWJUH’s renowned trauma program. This new ACS verification reflects the continued excellence and superb outcomes that have marked this outstanding program,” Stafford said.
“As the only ACS-designated Pediatric Trauma Center in New Jersey, RWJUH and BMSCH will now be the state resource for the care of injured children in our region, from acute pediatric trauma care to injury prevention and trauma education,” Stafford added. “RWJUH has made certain that every injured child in New Jersey has a dedicated facility to ensure that their medical care is continually available, compassionate, family-centered, up-to-date and spans the entire trauma spectrum, from EMS responders in the field through pediatric trauma resuscitation, critical care, and recovery, including pediatric rehabilitation at Children’s Specialized Hospital.” About the American College of SurgeonsThe 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.
About Robert Wood Johnson Medical School As one of the nation’s leading comprehensive medical schools, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in education, research, health care delivery, and the promotion of community health. In cooperation with Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, the medical school’s principal affiliate, they comprise one of the nation's premier academic medical centers. In addition, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School has 34 other hospital affiliates and ambulatory care sites throughout the region.
As one of the eight schools of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey with 2,800 full-time and volunteer faculty, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School encompasses 22 basic science and clinical departments, hosts centers and institutes including The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, the Child Health Institute of New Jersey, the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, and the Stem Cell Institute of New Jersey. The medical school maintains educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels for more than 1,500 students on its campuses in New Brunswick, Piscataway, and Camden, and provides continuing education courses for health care professionals and community education programs. To learn more about UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, log on to rwjms.umdnj.edu. Find us online at www.Facebook.com/RWJMS and www.twitter.com/UMDNJ_RWJMS.
About Robert Wood Johnson University HospitalRobert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) is a 600-bed academic medical center and the principal hospital of Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, N.J.
RWJUH is an innovative leader in advancing state-of-the-art care. Its Centers of Excellence include cardiovascular care, from minimally invasive heart surgery to transplantation; cancer care; and women’s and children’s care, including The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital (BMSCH) at RWJUH (www.bmsch.org).
The hospital is a Level I Trauma Center and serves as a national resource in its ground-breaking approaches to emergency preparedness.
RWJUH has earned significant national recognition for clinical quality and patient safety. It ranks among “America’s Best Hospitals,” according to U.S.News & World Report’s 2012 survey. It is the sixth consecutive year that RWJUH has achieved this prestigious ranking. In 2012, U.S.News & World Report also ranked BMSCH among the nation’s “Best Children’s Hospitals.” The American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer has rated RWJUH among the nation's best comprehensive cancer centers. The Leapfrog Group rated RWJUH among the 50 exceptional U.S. hospitals, as published in Consumers Digest, and has given the hospital an “A” grade for safety and quality. Harvard University researchers, in a study commissioned by The Commonwealth Fund, identified RWJUH as one of the top 10 hospitals in the nation for clinical quality. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital is a four-time recipient of the prestigious Magnet Award for Nursing Excellence. To learn more about RWJUH, please visit www.rwjuh.edu.
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