Portsmouth Regional Hospital Trauma Center

The trauma center at Portsmouth Regional Hospital has been verified as a Level II Trauma Center by the Verification Review Committee (VRC), an ad hoc committee of the Committee on Trauma (COT) of the American College of Surgeons (ACS). This achievement recognizes the trauma center's dedication to providing optimal care for injured patients.

“We are extremely excited to receive this prestigious verification from the American College of Surgeons. There has been a tremendous amount of work from countless people over the past several years in order to earn this verification and most importantly to provide access to high quality trauma services for all those residing in the Seacoast and surrounding communities,” stated Dean Carucci, CEO of Portsmouth Regional Hospital. “I am proud of our accomplishment of becoming the only ACS verified Level II Trauma Center in the state of New Hampshire as it reconfirms our commitment to providing advanced care to the communities we serve,” he continued.

Established by the American College of Surgeons in 1987, the COT's Consultation/Verification Program for Hospitals promotes the development of trauma centers in which participants provide not only the hospital resources necessary for trauma care, but also the entire spectrum of care to address the needs of all injured patients. This spectrum encompasses the prehospital phase through the rehabilitation process.

Verified trauma centers must meet the essential criteria that ensure trauma care capability and institutional performance. The ACS Committee on Trauma's verification program does not designate trauma centers. Rather, the program provides confirmation that a trauma center has demonstrated its commitment to providing the highest quality trauma care for all injured patients. The actual establishment and the designation of trauma centers is the function of local, regional, or state health care systems agencies, such as the local emergency medical services (EMS) authority.