TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) – Regional Hospital announced today that they will be making the transition from a Level II to a Level III trauma center. They implemented the Level II trauma center in 2017, but officials say they were not able to support it in certain areas.
Nathan Vooys, CEO of Regional Hospital, says the hospital’s Level III trauma center will continue to supply 24-hour emergency surgeons and anesthesia.
This decision now makes the closest Level II trauma centers located in Indianapolis, which is also where there are four Level I trauma centers located. Level I trauma centers are the most highly equipped, while Level III are the least.
The Level II trauma center will remain in place at Regional Hospital until around August 1 when the transition will start to take place.
Some of the issues the hospital saw in sustaining the trauma center was recruiting highly specialized physicians to meet the center’s requirements. There were also issues with long-term finances.
In an open letter to the community that was released earlier today, Vooys said COVID-19 created the perfect storm. He also went on to say that Regional Hospital could consider the trauma center returning but it would highly depend on the aftermath of the pandemic.
