Stanford hospitals reverified as Level I trauma center

The American College of Surgeons has reverified Stanford Health Care and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford as an adult and pediatric Level I trauma center, the highest possible ranking for trauma centers.

- By Kate DeTrempe

Stanford's hospitals serve as a Level I trauma center, meaning that they have a full range of services to meet patients' needs.
Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford

Stanford Health Care and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford have been reverified as a Level I adult and pediatric trauma center through May 2022 by the American College of Surgeons.

Level I verification is the highest possible ranking for trauma centers and recognizes the hospitals’ dedication to providing the best possible care for all injured patients.

Stanford Health Care/Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford is one of only five American College of Surgeons-verified Level I pediatric trauma centers in California, and receives pediatric trauma patients from as far north as the Oregon border and as far south as Bakersfield. It is the only Level I pediatric trauma center on the San Francisco Peninsula. Stanford Health Care has been recognized as a Level I trauma center for more than 20 years.

Verified hospitals must provide a full spectrum of care to address the needs of all injured patients and must provide access to the following:

  • Coordinated, timely response from all necessary specialty medical staff.
  • 24-hour availability of trauma surgeons and emergency medicine doctors, including pediatric surgeons.
  • Operating rooms that are equipped and ready at all times.
  • Neurosurgical and neurological care for severely injured patients.
  • Orthopaedic care for severely injured patients.
  • A pediatric intensive care unit for the special needs of children with serious illnesses or injuries.
  • In-hospital anesthesiologists.


“Stanford is proud to be recognized as the singular and most comprehensive Level I adult and Level I pediatric trauma resource on the Peninsula,” said David Spain, MD, chief of trauma and critical care surgery at Stanford Health Care and professor of surgery at the Stanford School of Medicine. “The many departments and caregivers within Stanford Health Care and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford have worked closely to seamlessly address the needs of all our patients. The ACS reverification reflects our ongoing commitment to leading-edge, patient-centered care.”

Collectively, the two hospitals see approximately 2,870 trauma patients per year, with 63% of those patients requiring hospital admission — the most admissions of any trauma center in the Santa Clara County.

“Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford provides unparalleled specialty care, which allows us to quickly and safely deliver the best possible treatment for traumatically injured children,” said Stephanie Chao, MD, pediatric trauma medical director at Stanford Children’s Health and assistant professor of pediatric surgery at the School of Medicine.

The ACS is a scientific and educational association of surgeons founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical education and practice and to improve the care of surgical patients.

About Stanford Medicine

Stanford Medicine is an integrated academic health system comprising the Stanford School of Medicine and adult and pediatric health care delivery systems. Together, they harness the full potential of biomedicine through collaborative research, education and clinical care for patients. For more information, please visit med.stanford.edu.

2023 ISSUE 3

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