LewisGale receives Level 2 trauma center status

Salem-based LewisGale Medical Center has been designated as a Level 2 trauma center by the Virginia Department of Health, the hospital system announced Wednesday.

The designation makes LewisGale the eighth Level 2 center in the state and the first in the region, according to the state health department.

One level below the top Level 1 designation, Level 2 trauma centers include “24-hour immediate coverage by general surgeons, as well as coverage by the specialties of orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, anesthesiology, emergency medicine, radiology and critical care,” according to the Falls Church-based American Trauma Society. However, it may need to transfer a patient to a Level 1 center to address more complex cases. Specialty requirements may be fulfilled by on call staff.

In a news release, LewisGale Medical Center said it pursued the status in response to the area’s need for enhanced comprehensive emergency health care service, adding that it benefits local and outlying areas and serves as a backup center for rural and community hospitals. Its sister facility, Blacksburg-based LewisGale Hospital Montgomery, is a Level 3 trauma center (lower on the scale than Level II) and has maintained the accreditation for 31 years.

“Recovery is greatly increased when a severely injured patient receives care at a designated trauma center within the first hour of injury,” Dr. Jaromir Kohout, trauma medical director at LewisGale Medical Center, said in a statement. “Achieving this Level 2 trauma center status is another example of how we are always striving to serve the residents of Southwest Virginia.”

The hospital’s trauma program is staffed 24 hours a day by board-certified trauma surgeons, neurosurgeons, orthopedic surgeons, critical care physicians and trauma-trained nurses.

LewisGale Medical Center and HCA Virginia invested more than $7 million over the past decade to become eligible to apply for the Level 2 Trauma designation, according to spokesperson Chris Finley. That includes building two new trauma bays in the emergency department, a rooftop helipad with direct access to the emergency department and operating rooms which speed the delivery of lifesaving care to the most critically ill patients when minutes matter most.”

“Earning these designations is a reflection of the tremendous dedication that our physicians, nurses, and healthcare staff have shown as we developed the trauma program,” Alan Fabian, LewisGale Medical Center CEO, said in a statement. “Their efforts are already resulting in more lives being saved, and we are proud to provide our community with quality trauma care in both the Roanoke and New River valleys.”

Owned by Tennessee-based HCA Healthcare and part of the larger HCA Virginia Health System, LewisGale Medical Center is one of four hospitals in the LewisGale Regional Health System, which also includes LewisGale hospitals in Allegheny and Montgomery counties and the town of Pulaski.