Hospitals in multiple states have earned new trauma center designations or secured re-verification in the first weeks of 2026, expanding access to emergency care and reinforcing regional trauma networks.
The designations — awarded by state health departments or the American College of Surgeons — reflect hospitals’ ability to provide rapid stabilization, surgical intervention and coordinated transfers for severely injured patients. Several organizations also marked regional firsts or renewed top-tier level 1 status.
Below are 16 hospitals that received new trauma designations or re-verification since Jan. 1.
Editor’s note: This is not an exhaustive list.
Sunrise Hospital & Medical Center in Las Vegas, part of HCA Healthcare, was designated a level 1 trauma center by the state, advancing from its previous level 2 designation.
Sanford Health in Bismarck, N.D., was verified as a level 2 trauma center by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma, recognizing its trauma care capabilities and institutional performance.
Tampa (Fla.) General Hospital and Muma Children’s Hospital at Tampa General were reverified as a level 1 trauma center by the American College of Surgeons through Jan. 29, 2029, maintaining their status as the region’s only ACS-verified level 1 trauma center.
The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, N.J., was verified as a level 1 pediatric trauma center by the American College of Surgeons.
Providence St. Mary Medical Center in Apple Valley, Calif., advanced from a level 4 to a provisional level 3 trauma center, expanding access to higher-acuity trauma care and reducing the need for patient transfers.
Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in New London, Conn., was verified as a level 3 trauma center by the American College of Surgeons Feb. 5.
Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville was reverified as a level 1 trauma center by the American College of Surgeons Feb. 4, maintaining its position as one of six nationally verified level 1 centers in Georgia.
Baptist Health Corbin (Ky.) announced its designation as a level 4 trauma center Feb. 2, enabling 24/7 emergency coverage and transfer coordination for critically injured patients.
Oaklawn in Marshall, Mich., was reverified as a level 3 trauma facility by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Jan. 28. The designation is effective through July 2028.
University Medical Center New Orleans became the only hospital in the Gulf South to simultaneously hold three national designations — level 1 trauma center, verified burn center and comprehensive stroke center — effective Jan. 27.
Manning Family Children’s in New Orleans was verified as a level 1 pediatric trauma center by the American College of Surgeons Jan. 26.
UVA Health University Medical Center in Charlottesville, Va. was redesignated as a level 1 adult trauma center by the Virginia Department of Health Jan. 23.
T.J. Samson Community Hospital and T.J. Health Columbia, both part of Glasgow, Ky.-based T.J. Regional Health, earned level 4 trauma center designations Jan. 15. They are the first trauma-designated hospitals in south central Kentucky.
Doctors Medical Center in Modesto, Calif., was reverified as a level 2 trauma center by the American College of Surgeons through July 9, 2027. The hospital serves about 1.7 million people in the San Joaquin Valley.
Madelia (Minn.) Health was designated a level 4 trauma hospital Feb. 16 after completing the Minnesota Department of Health’s review process.
MelroseWakefield Hospital in Massachusetts was designated a level 3 trauma center by the state’s Department of Public Health Jan. 2, 2024, following an external review by the American College of Surgeons.
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