News

The Fourth Trauma Center Accreditation for St. Luke’s University Health Network Hospitals.

Stroudsburg, PA (1/3/2020) - The board of directors of the Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation (PTSF) has approved St. Luke’s Monroe Campus as a fully accredited Level IV Trauma Center in Pennsylvania as of November 1, 2019.

Trauma centers provide specialized medical services and resources to patients suffering from traumatic injuries. Appropriate treatment has been shown to reduce the likelihood of death or permanent disability to injured patients.

The Level IV accreditation process includes an assessment of whether the hospital complies with standards of accreditation for appropriate and timely care of injured patients, advanced levels of trauma education for nursing and physician staff, and rigorous review of trauma care delivery. PTSF officials concluded the successful process with an inspection at St. Luke's Monroe.

Don Seiple, President of St. Luke's Monroe Campus, said, “We are extremely proud to be able to provide these needed services and ensure that excellent trauma care is delivered close to home.” Accreditation as a Level IV trauma center assures the public that St. Luke’s Monroe Campus physicians and staff are well equipped to evaluate and treat trauma patients and rapidly transfer those patients requiring a higher level of trauma care, he added.

Aaron Ratner, DO, Trauma Program Medical Director for St. Luke’s Monroe Campus, believes that our Level IV accreditation will serve the region well. “Our pursuit of Level IV trauma certification is a continuation of our mission to provide the highest quality care to the residents  of Monroe County and our injured patients,” he said.

Earning this designation means patients in Monroe and surrounding counties can be seen by a trauma team more quickly because they don’t have to be transported as far. Using a local trauma center decreases travel time for EMS and provides paramedics better turn-around-time. “This allows us to serve the local community more efficiently and effectively,” Dr. Ratner said.

St. Luke’s University Health Network includes a total of four trauma centers: St. Luke’s University Hospital in Bethlehem has been a Level I Trauma Center for more than 20 years; St. Luke’s Miners Campus in Coaldale was named the first Level IV Trauma Center in Pennsylvania in 2013; St. Luke’s Quakertown Campus was named a Level IV Trauma Center in 2016; and now St. Luke’s Monroe.