Trauma Verification

Stony Brook Southampton Hospital (SBSH) has become the first hospital on the East End to be granted Level III Trauma Center verification from the American College of Surgeons (ACS).

“Time is critical for trauma patients,” said 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. “For patients on the East End, this means improved access to trauma care, with assurances of high-quality care and excellent clinical outcomes for patients who suffer serious injuries and illnesses.”

At SBSH, a team of over 100 surgeons, surgery residents, emergency room doctors and anesthesiologists are available 24 hours a day. And as part of the Stony Brook Medicine healthcare system, patients at Southampton who need the highest level of trauma care can be quickly transported to the Level I Trauma Center at Stony Brook University Hospital (SBUH), either by ambulance or, when critical, by a clinically staffed Suffolk County Police Department helicopter in 12 minutes.

Trauma Center verification comes after a recent ACS review of SBSH’s trauma program. Verification is awarded only after rigorous assessment of a hospital’s critical resources to provide optimal care of injured patients. SBSH has been operating as a provisional Level III Trauma Center since 2016, when it became the first East End hospital to achieve the designation.

There are currently six verified trauma centers in Suffolk County, including Stony Brook University Hospital’s Trauma Center, which is the only verified Level I Trauma Center in the county for both adults and pediatrics, and now Stony Brook Southampton Hospital.

This level of achievement is due to the dedicated efforts of a strong clinical team at Stony Brook Medicine, under the capable leadership of James Vosswinkel, MD, FACS, Chief of the Division of Trauma, Emergency Surgery and Surgical Critical Care at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University. Leading this effort at SBSH are:

  • Darin G. Wiggins, MD, Chair of the SBSH Emergency Department and Medical Staff Leadership Chair
  • Sampath Subramaniam MD, FACS, Trauma Medical Director and General Surgeon
  • Michael J. Ameres, MD, Emergency Department Trauma Liaison
  • Samantha Pulliam, RN, Trauma Program Director

In other words, it truly takes a total team effort to achieve this level of achievement. And the true beneficiaries are the residents of the East End, who now have local access to lifesaving medical care.