​Trauma Program at UPMC Hamot

What is a Trauma Center?

UPMC Hamot is the only accredited trauma center in the Erie region and one of only 35 in the state of Pennsylvania.

Trauma centers care for patients with major injuries that may be life-threatening. To be accredited as a trauma center, a hospital must meet strict guidelines set by the Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation (PTSF).

Most hospitals have emergency departments equipped to handle anything from a minor illness or injury to serious conditions including heart attack and stroke. However, not every emergency department, or hospital, is a trauma center.

Multidisciplinary Trauma Care Team

An accredited trauma center, such as UPMC Hamot, has access 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to a team of skilled medical professionals who are specially trained to provide the highest level of care available to severely injured or ill patients. At UPMC Hamot, that team includes:

• Emergency physicians and nurses
• General and trauma surgeons
• Neurosurgeons
• Interventional radiologists
• Orthopaedic surgeons
• Cardiovascular surgeons
• Radiologists
• Anesthesiologists
• Reconstructive surgeons

Recognized for Care

In addition to its trauma center accreditation, UPMC Hamot has received:

• Advanced certification as a primary stroke center by the Joint Commission
• The Get With the Guidelines® –Stroke Gold Plus quality achievement award from the American Heart Association
• The Get With The Guidelines®– Heart Failure Gold Plus award from the American Heart Association
• Recognition as a Certified Chest Pain Center

Trauma Clinic and Patient Transfers

• Trauma Clinic at UPMC Hamot — Because victims of trauma require many different services to care for their injuries, the Trauma Clinic makes sure patients get the right follow-up care after they leave the hospital.
• Patient transfers — The UPMC Hamot trauma team is always available for phone consultations or to accept the transfer of trauma patients.

What Does Critical Care Mean?