RICHMOND, Va. -- Chippenham Hospital has officially earned the status as a Level I trauma center, the highest level of trauma care that a patient can receive.
The hospital was rewarded the designation on October 15 by the Commonwealth of Virginia. This comes after the Chippenham first earned a provisional status as a Level I trauma center in June of 2019.
The Level I certification allows Chippenham to care for all patients in the Richmond area, no matter how severe their illness is, without transfer, including limb reattachment.
There are three trauma levels in the state:
- Level I - a comprehensive regional source that is capable of providing total care for every aspect of injury from prevention to rehabilitation.
- Level II - facilities that are able to initiate definitive care for all injured patients.
- Level III - centers that have demonstrated an ability to provide prompt assessment, resuscitation, surgery, intensive care and stabilization of injured patients and emergency operations.
Chippenham joins VCU Medical Center as the second hospital in the southern Richmond metropolitan area with a Level I Trauma Center status.
“This accreditation demonstrates the focus on patient care and the hard work our staff does every day,” said William Lunn, Chippenham Hospital chief executive officer. “This accomplishment was made possible through the dedication and collaboration of our world-class team of nurses, physicians, and support teams who are trained and passionate about caring for the most severely injured patients in our community.”
Chippenham’s Level I Trauma Center services include:
- A comprehensive team of trauma-trained and board-certified surgeons across varying specialties
- Prompt assessment, resuscitation, surgery, intensive care and stabilization for critically injured patients
- An ambulance bay that will accommodate up to 20 ambulances at a time
- Four fully-equipped trauma bays
- Dual helipads for quick transport from an accident to the trauma center or to another medical center, if necessary
- A comprehensive program to regularly review of our care standards based on national standards published by the American College of Surgeons and the American College of Emergency Physicians
- A program to evaluate quality and provide ongoing staff education to ensure we continue to provide high-quality care to the community
- A community outreach program
