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The pediatric trauma center at Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center has been verified as a Level I Pediatric Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons (ACS). A Level I verification is the organization’s highest distinction and recognizes the trauma center’s dedication to providing optimal care for injured patients. Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia is the only pediatric hospital in New York City to receive this designation, and one of only two in the state.

“The ACS designation is an incredible achievement that reflects our commitment to enhancing trauma care,” said Dr. Craig Albanese, senior vice president and chief operating officer at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital and Sloane Hospital for Women. “Our physicians and staff have displayed a remarkable commitment to working across disciplines and specialties to save lives.”

All verified trauma centers must meet the essential criteria that ensure trauma care capability and institutional performance, as outlined by the ACS’s Committee on Trauma (COT) in its current Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient manual. The program provides confirmation that a trauma center has demonstrated its commitment to providing the highest quality trauma care for all injured patients. There are five categories of verification in the COT’s program, each with specific criteria that must be met by a facility seeking that level of verification.

Established by the ACS 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 pre-hospital phase through the rehabilitation process.

ACS-designated Level I Trauma Centers can offer all patients 24/7 access to a trauma surgeon, operating room and every subspecialty of surgery available. Further, a Level I center demonstrates a commitment to injury prevention through education, awareness and professional development programs.

“This has been a huge collaboration across multiple departments and we are thrilled to have achieved this important verification,” said Dr. Steven Stylianos, trauma medical director and surgeon-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital and the Rudolph N. Schullinger Professor of Surgery at Columbia University Medical Center. “It is further proof that we continue to go above and beyond the standard level of care for our patients.”

NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital

NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, located in New York City, offers the best available care in every area of pediatrics — including the most complex neonatal and critical care, and all areas of pediatric subspecialties — in a family-friendly and technologically advanced setting. Building a reputation for more than a century as one of the nation’s premier children’s hospitals, Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital is affiliated with the Department of Pediatrics at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and is Manhattan’s only hospital dedicated solely to the care of children and one of the largest providers of children’s health services in the tri-state area with a long-standing commitment to its community. It is also a major international referral center, meeting the special needs of children from infancy through adolescence worldwide. NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital also comprises NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital Westchester Division, NewYork-Presbyterian The Allen Hospital and NewYork-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital. The hospital is also closely affiliated with NewYork-Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital, NewYork-Presbyterian Lawrence Hospital and NewYork-Presbyterian Queens. NewYork-Presbyterian is the #1 hospital in the New York metropolitan area, according to U.S. News & World Report, and consistently named to the magazine’s Honor Roll of best hospitals in the nation. For more information, visit www.nyp.org.