Bridgeport Hospital Renews National Trauma Center Verification

Bridgeport Hospital has extended its national verification as a trauma center until February 2021. Designated as a regional trauma center by the State of Connecticut, national verification by the Committee on Trauma (COT) of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) confirms that hospitals demonstrate a commitment to providing the highest quality trauma care for all injured patients.

“High quality trauma care requires a coordinated, multidisciplinary effort, from the prehospital phase through rehabilitation,” said Shea Gregg, MD, Bridgeport Hospital’s section chief of Trauma, Burns and Surgical Critical Care. “We are fortunate to have the skilled caregivers and range of resources to ensure the best possible outcomes for our patients.”

Bridgeport Hospital’s reverification follows an on-site review by a team of experienced reviewers who use current COT guidelines in conducting the survey. The hospital has maintained its national trauma verification for nearly 30 years, almost since the American College of Surgeons first established the COT’s Consultation/Verification Program for Hospitals in 1987.

The program promotes the development of trauma centers in which participants provide not only the hospital resources necessary for trauma care, but also the entire spectrum of care to address the needs of all injured patients. Verified trauma centers must meet essential criteria that ensure trauma care capability and institutional performance.

Bridgeport Hospital receives over 90,000 annual patient visits to its emergency department, ranging from those involving treat-and-release injuries and illnesses to others requiring lifesaving care and hospitalization. The hospital is also the site of Connecticut’s only nationally verified burn center.

“The trauma program reflects one of our most valuable contributions to the health and well-being of our community,” said William M. Jennings, president and CEO of Bridgeport Hospital and executive vice president of Yale New Haven Health, the hospital’s parent organization. “I am proud of what our staff does each and every day to save lives, treat the critically injured and provide compassionate care to all our patients.”

Bridgeport Hospital, part of Yale New Haven Health, is a 383-bed acute care hospital (plus 40 beds licensed to Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital) serving parts of Fairfield and New Haven counties. The hospital admits more than 20,000 patients and receives over 300,000 outpatient treatments annually. The Connecticut Burn Center at Bridgeport Hospital is the only burn center in the state and one of only 66 verified burn centers in the United States.