The American College of Surgeons (ACS) has reverified Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Brenner Children’s Hospital as a Level I pediatric trauma center, a distinction it has held continuously since 2011 when it became the first in North Carolina.
Brenner Children’s Hospital remains the only Level I pediatric trauma center in the Triad and Northwest North Carolina and one of only four in the state. In addition, it is the area’s only pediatric emergency department and Level I children’s surgery center.
As part of the verification process, a team of experienced site reviewers visited and evaluated Brenner Children’s Hospital using criteria developed by the ACS.
“For generations, families in our region and beyond have trusted Brenner Children’s Hospital to provide the most advanced care to injured children,” said Dr. Luke Neff, pediatric surgeon and pediatric trauma medical director at Brenner Children’s Hospital and associate professor of pediatric surgery at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. “As an academic health system, our entire team is constantly learning and developing new and better ways to care for injured children and teaching the next generation of pediatric health care leaders so we can continue to improve the care delivered here and across the country.”
Dr. John Petty, who helped start the Brenner Children’s Hospital pediatric trauma program in 2009, has recently transitioned from pediatric trauma medical director and is now executive director of Wake Forest University School of Medicine’s Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma. Petty remains a pediatric surgeon at Brenner Children’s Hospital and as leader of the Childress Institute, will continue to advance pediatric trauma care and promote research, education and advocacy across the nation.
In addition to having dedicated pediatric surgeons and trauma specialists, part of the ACS verification criteria includes injury prevention outreach and education, collaboration with local paramedics and EMS agencies, rehabilitation and caring for the emotional needs of children and their families.
The ACS reviewers commended Brenner Children’s Hospital for their strong management of the trauma program, the robust injury prevention program and their Safe Kids coalition, which are vital areas of a Level I pediatric trauma center.
A 2023 study by the ACS showed that an injured child’s chance of surviving improves when the child is treated at a trauma center prepared to care for children, such as Brenner Children’s Hospital.
Media contacts:
Jenna Kurzyna, jkurzyna@wakehealth.edu
Joe McCloskey, jmcclosk@wakehealth.edu