WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — The Aspirus Wausau Hospital has been recertified as a Level II trauma center by the American College of Surgeons
The decision comes after more than a year of planning and preparation and a two-day site visit by ACS staffers and puts the Wausau facility in some elite company. “With the stringent requirements of Trauma Centers, [we have] essentially the same requirements of a Level I center,” said Sara Steen, the Trauma Program Manager at Aspirus. She went on to say that this puts Wausau on nearly the same level of academic centers such as those in Madison and Milwaukee.
She says this also means that patients can expect top-level care in the event that they find themselves in a medical emergency. “It requires a lot of resources from physicians to nurses, repertory, and therapy all available to meet the immediate care of the patient”
Aspirus Wausau was first certified as a Level II Trauma Center in 2009 and has been re-certified every three years since. Steen says maintaining the status is an ongoing process of making sure requirements are met and resources are made available to the patients and staff.
“Nobody plans for trauma, it’s something that occurs very unexpectedly and it’s not something you [can] shop around for. Having these recourses available for our community is very important,” added Steen. In order to be re-verified as a Level II Trauma Center, Aspirus Wausau Hospital was required to demonstrate the availability of specialized equipment and sub-specialties to care for critically injured patients who may have multiple injuries.
