Hospital may start receiving patients on March 17.

PHILADELPHIA, PA – St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children announced today that they have earned designation as a Regional Level I PediatricTrauma Center, becoming only the third pediatric trauma center in the state of Pennsylvania and the second in the region. They may start receiving patients on March 17, 2003.

“This accreditation is a result of our full commitment of resources and our highly specialized staff who are dedicated to providing the best medical and surgical trauma care for children,” says Jeffrey Green, Chief Executive Officer.

As a Regional Level I Pediatric Trauma Center, St. Christopher’s Trauma One will be ready 24 hours a day, seven days a week to receive and treat the most severely injured children. The most common reasons for pediatric trauma are vehicle related injuries – children riding in or struck by cars or bicycles - and burns. St. Christopher’s is the only pediatric hospital burn center in the mid-Atlantic region.

“Trauma is the leading cause of death and disability in children, so it was important to us to attain this benchmark,” notes Matthew Moront, M.D. Director of Trauma. “Now that St. Christopher’s is a Regional Level I Pediatric Trauma Center, we are able to offer children in our region, especially those in northeastern Philadelphia a much shorter distance to travel to reach a pediatric regional resource center.

This prestigious designation was awarded to St. Christopher’s Hospital by the Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation, a non-profit organization governing trauma centers in Pennsylvania. St. Christopher’s had to meet 37 standards established by the Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation and has to have the capability and capacity to fulfill these responsibilities on a continuing basis. The Hospital committed more than $1 million in resources to this initiative, which includes major renovations to its Emergency Department to support trauma.

Kirsten Johnson-Moore, R.N., M.S.N., Director of Emergency Nursing Services, explains that the hospital’s program covers all phases of care, including resuscitation and stabilization in the Emergency Department, surgical care when necessary, inpatient critical care and rehabilitation. “A Level I Pediatric Trauma Center serves as a regional resource not only for treatment, but for trauma research advocacy and professional education,” she states.

Founded in 1875, St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children has built a reputation for innovation and excellence in pediatric medicine. One of the nation’s leading medical centers for children, St. Christopher’s 183-bed facility includes an acute care hospital, two ambulatory care areas, a teaching and education center, research laboratories and a medical office building. The hospital also serves as a regional referral center for children from throughout the Delaware Valley and from around the world.

For more than 125 years, St. Christopher’s Hospital has remained dedicated to providing compassionate, individualized and high quality care to the children it serves.

St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children is affiliated with Tenet Healthcare Corporation.