The Pediatric Trauma Program at The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital (BMSCH) at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) was recently verified as a Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACS COT). It is the only state-designated Level 1 Trauma Center in New Jersey to have an ACS COT Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Program.
The leadership of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital’s Level I Adult and Pediatric Trauma Programs from left: BMSCH Surgeon-in-Chief Steven Stylianos, MD, who is also Professor and Chief of the Division of Pediatric Surgery at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS); Mayur Narayan, MD, Professor of Surgery, Chief, Division of Acute Care Surgery and Trauma Medical Director at RWJUH and RWJMS; and Arunachalam Thenappan, MD, Medical Director of BMSCH’s Level I Pediatric Trauma Center and Assistant Professor of Surgery at RWJMS.
“This verification means that our hospital is recognized as having full capability to care for any child with any injury 24/7/365,” says Joseph Law, BSN, RN, TCRN, Pediatric Trauma Program Manager at RWJUH.
“We’re set apart by our capability and expertise to take care of the injured child anywhere along the continuum of care,” says Arunachalam Thenappan, MD, Medical Director Pediatric Trauma Program, RWJUH, and Assistant Professor at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS). “Whether that’s starting in the trauma resuscitation bay up through their inpatient stay, either in the intensive care unit or on the inpatient floors, all the way up to their rehabilitation needs at Children’s Specialized Hospital.”
BMSCH is part of the RWJBarnabas Health Children’s Health network. Its Pediatric Trauma Program features:
- State-of-the-art trauma resuscitation bays with a stand-alone Pediatric Emergency Department staffed by highly skilled physicians, nurses, social workers and physical therapists who specialize in advanced pediatric trauma and emergency care.
- A broad range of dedicated pediatric specialties available to treat pediatric trauma patients, including anesthesia, neurosurgery, orthopedics, radiology/interventional radiology, pediatric intensivists, rehabilitation medicine and Child Life.
- Multidisciplinary, specialized and sensitive approach to non-accidental trauma.
- Award-winning Injury Prevention Program focused on keeping New Jersey’s children safe.
- The largest Pediatric Intensive Care Unit in the state, staffed by fellowship-trained pediatric intensivists 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week.
- State-of-the-art Center for Advanced Pediatric Surgery with dedicated pediatric operating rooms and pediatric peri-operative nursing teams.
“Achieving verification as a Level I Pediatric Trauma Center is the result of a collective commitment to excellence among many highly specialized disciplines on our academic medical campus to deliver the highest level of trauma care to children in our state,” says BMSCH Surgeon-in-Chief Steven Stylianos, MD, who is also Professor and Chief of the Division of Pediatric Surgery at RWJMS. “We are deeply grateful to all of our team members at BMSCH, our colleagues at RWJMS and our partners across the RWJBarnabas Health Children’s Health network who help us serve as a state and regional resource for acute pediatric trauma care, trauma education and injury prevention outreach.”
The Pediatric Trauma Program has been an ACS Surgical Quality Partner through its participation in the national quality benchmarking program. Being a Surgical Quality Partner signifies a dedication to consistently improving procedures and approaches, while maintaining a critical eye on process at every step.
“We don’t wait months to look and see how we did,” says Dr. Stylianos. “We analyze our performance. We bring in initiatives that address areas where we think we can be better or faster, and that leads to having the top program in the state.”