Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center in Marietta has achieved Level I trauma center status, a designation that means a hospital is capable of providing the highest level of care to patients suffering from severe and life-threatening injuries.
These top-level trauma centers are capable of managing the most complex trauma cases, such as severe car accidents, gunshot wounds and major falls.
Kennestone becomes the sixth hospital in the state designated as Level 1 for adults. Atlanta currently has only one Level 1 center for adults: Grady Memorial Hospital. The controversial closing of Wellstar’s Atlanta Medical Center in late 2022 put more pressure on Grady to care for trauma cases.
That’s likely not going to change as a result of the level one designation, said Dr. Mark Waterman, former president of the medical staff at AMC and a former ER physician there.
He said the new Kennestone designation is “good for the metro area. But for the downtown area, it won’t change fundamentally the numbers.”
Kennestone ER staffing was aided by the closure of AMC’s emergency room and Wellstar moving some of its staff up there. “It was about equally divided,” Waterman said of the staff moves. “Some went to Grady, and some went to Kennestone.”
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s Egleston Hospital is a Level 1 pediatric trauma center, and the only top-level trauma center for children in the state.
Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC
Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC
Besides Kennestone and Grady, other existing Level 1 trauma centers for adults are Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville, Wellstar MCG Health in Augusta, Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah, and Atrium Health Navicent in Macon.
Designated by stringent criteria set by accrediting bodies, the Level 1 designation means a hospital is equipped with a comprehensive range of medical services, including 24/7 access to specialized surgeons, emergency medicine physicians and other critical care specialists. The Marietta hospital received the verification from the American College of Surgeons and designation from the Georgia Department of Public Health State Office of EMS and Trauma.
The evaluated criteria range from prevention through rehabilitation across the broadest spectrum of injuries, as well as academic research that helps improve trauma outcomes.
“Wellstar strives to provide compassionate, world-class care to every person, every time. The designation of Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center as a Level I Trauma Center further strengthens the network of quality trauma care that exists across metro Atlanta and Georgia,” said Candice L. Saunders, president and CEO of Wellstar Health System in a statement.
— Staff writer Ariel Hart contributed to this article.
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