FORT BRAGG, N.C. — Womack Army Medical Center has been reverified as a Level III Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons and designated by the state of North Carolina, continuing an important trauma-care capability at Fort Bragg.
The reverification means Womack continues to meet national standards for evaluating, resuscitating and treating injured patients around the clock.
As a Level III Trauma Center, Womack can provide emergency trauma care and stabilize patients who need to be transferred to a Level I or Level II facility for more specialized treatment.
Two-Day Review of Trauma Care
Womack’s reverification followed a two-day review of its trauma program. Reviewers examined clinical cases, hospital policies, patient-care protocols, performance improvement efforts and coordination among departments involved in treating trauma patients.
According to the Army, reviewers identified strengths within Womack’s trauma program while providing only minor recommendations involving policy updates.
Trauma center verification is renewed every three years, requiring hospitals to continue demonstrating that they meet established standards for trauma care.
Trauma Care Supports Military Readiness
For Womack, maintaining a trauma program also has a direct connection to military medical readiness.
Treating trauma patients provides surgeons, nurses, technicians, blood-bank personnel and other medical professionals with real-world experience managing serious injuries.
Those skills can translate to operational environments where military medical teams may be required to rapidly assess, stabilize and treat injured service members.
The trauma program therefore serves two roles: providing care to patients at Fort Bragg while helping military medical personnel maintain critical trauma-care skills.
Training Beyond the Hospital
Womack also supports community trauma education through programs including Stop the Bleed, a national initiative that teaches people how to recognize and respond to life-threatening bleeding before professional medical help arrives.
The training focuses on techniques that can be used during the critical minutes following a serious injury, including applying pressure, packing wounds and using tourniquets when appropriate.
For Fort Bragg, the Level III reverification keeps Womack operating as both a trauma-care resource and an important training environment for military medical professionals.
Kres Thomas, Fort Bragg Today
kresthomas@faytoday.com
