The surveyors cited the Trauma Center’s strengths as:

• Being in close proximity to all critical components necessary for rapid assessment and intervention of trauma victims.
• Having a sense of teamwork among personnel.
• Demonstrating a high level of clinical excellence.
• Exhibiting a commitment to trauma care.
• Maintaining a strong EMS commitment between the regional EMS and MCGHealth.
• Performing community outreach and education, particularly through Safe Kids East Central, led by the MCGHealth Children’s Medical Center.

"Every hospital with an emergency room isn’t a trauma center. MCGHealth has the only trauma center in the CSRA, and is one of only four Level I trauma centers in Georgia. As such, we join Grady Memorial Health in Atlanta, Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon and Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah in offering the highest level of care to those involved in motor vehicle accidents, falls, gunshot wounds and motorcycle crashes, among other traumas," said Rich Bias, Senior Vice President of Ambulatory and Network Services.

"Because of the small number of Level I trauma centers in the state, we handle serious traumas occurring between here and Atlanta, Macon and Savannah. In South Carolina, the nearest trauma center is in Columbia, so we handle the western half of South Carolina too. We are very proud to provide these types of life-saving services to the CSRA and beyond," Bias said.

The physicians and nurses in the MCGHealth Trauma Center serve a 13-county region including Augusta. Through its helicopter transport program, the trauma center also treats patients outside the region. The center facilitates critical care for more than 1,500 trauma victims a year by following them through their hospital stays and coordinating their care after discharge. The center includes a 12-bed trauma intensive care unit and a specialized trauma resuscitation area within the emergency department.

The MCGHealth Trauma team provides critical care for trauma injuries 24-hours a day, seven days a week. Designated in 1981 as Georgia’s first Level I trauma center, MCGHealth also houses a pediatric trauma center located in the MCGHealth Children’s Medical Center.

MCG Health, Inc. (d/b/a MCGHealth) is a not-for-profit corporation operating the MCGHealth Medical Center, MCGHealth Children’s Medical Center, the Georgia Radiation Therapy Center, and related outpatient facilities and services throughout the state. For more information, please visit mcghealth.org.