Stony Brook Southampton Hospital Achieves Level III Trauma Center Verification

The American College of Surgeons (ACS) has granted Level III Trauma Center verification to Stony Brook Southampton Hospital (SBSH), making it the first hospital on the East End to be recognized with that distinction.

“Verification is only awarded after a rigorous demonstration of a hospital’s critical resources to provide optimal care of an injured patient,” explained Margaret M. McGovern, MD, PhD, Knapp Professor of Pediatrics, Dean for Clinical Affairs and Vice President for Health System Clinical Programs and Strategy at Stony Brook Medicine. “Stony Brook Southampton Hospital’s verification makes it one of only seven trauma centers in Suffolk County, and as part of Stony Brook Medicine Health System it provides seamless access to the Stony Brook University Hospital Trauma Center which is the only Level I Trauma Center in the county designated for both adults and pediatrics.”

Stony Brook Southampton Hospital was recognized by the New York State Department of Health as a provisional Level III Adult Trauma Center back in 2016.

“This is the first ACS-verified Level III Trauma Center on the East End of Long Island, and by doing this, Stony Brook Medicine is bringing much needed specialized care — particularly in emergency situations — to the people in our East End communities,” said James A. Vosswinkel, MD, FACS, Trauma Medical Director and Chief of the Division of Trauma, Emergency Surgery, and Surgical Critical Care in the Department of Surgery at Stony Brook, who oversees the Stony Brook Medicine Health System Trauma Program. “With the Stony Brook Southampton Hospital Trauma Center covering the East End of Long Island, and a top Level I Trauma Center at Stony Brook University Hospital a short transport away, we can provide the community with the most appropriate level of care at the appropriate time.”

United States trauma center are categorized in two fashions – a designation process, which is outlined and developed at a state or local level, and a verification process, an evaluation process done by the American College of Surgeons. The varying levels are dependent upon the trauma center’s resources, as well as the number of patients treated yearly.

“Faster treatment for trauma patients can mean the difference between life and death,” said Fredric Weinbaum, MD, Chief Medical Officer and Chief Operating Officer, Stony Brook Southampton Hospital. “During the summer season when the regional population swells and traffic is at a standstill, it is critically important that trauma care be accessible and nearby.”

To receive a Level III Trauma Center verification from the ACS, a hospital must display the ability to swiftly provide assessment, resuscitation, surgery, intensive care and stabilization of patients and emergency operations. The trauma team at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital boasts more than 100 surgeons, surgery residents, emergency room doctors, nurses and anesthesiologists – who are ready to treat patients 24 hours a day.

Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, the Southampton Hospital Association, and Stony Brook Medicine are currently focused on furthering their reach by working to establish a satellite Emergency Department in the Town of East Hampton.