Trauma center

If you are critically injured, the doctors and nurses in our Level I Trauma Center are ready to provide you with the specialized treatment you need. Our continuum of care includes prompt assessment, resuscitation and stabilization so that you are properly cared for every step of the way.

The services we provide include:

• Four fully-equipped trauma bays
• Can accommodate 20 ambulances at one time
• 24-hour emergency medicine physicians
• Skilled medical and nursing teams
• Availability of trauma general surgeons, orthopedic surgeons, neurosurgeons, and anesthesiologists
• Trauma and pre-hospital continuing education
• All-inclusive quality assessment program
• Injury prevention and community outreach
• Level I Burn Center — Equipped to treat adult and pediatric wounds 

Our diverse team of trauma-trained specialists is ready to care for you the instant you arrive. Those specialists may include:

• Anesthesiologists
• Cardiothoracic surgeons
• Case managers or social workers
• Critical care neurosurgeons
• Orthopedic surgeons
• Pediatric specialists
• Radiologists
• Trauma surgeons

Chippenham Hospital is designated as a Level I Trauma Center to better serve our patients and community. Getting patients to a trauma center quickly after an injury is critical in terms of outcomes. Survival chances are greatest when trauma care is received within 60 minutes of injury. Survival rates are increased when critically injured patients are cared for in trauma centers. When minutes are the difference between life and death, forcing patients to endure lengthy travel that takes much longer than the 60-minute “golden hour” costs lives. In Virginia, the trauma certification process is voluntary and intended to identify the various levels of capability available at participating hospitals. Trauma Center standards are based upon the American College of Surgeons’ and the American College of Emergency Physicians’ national standards, and a trauma center with the Level I designation is the most comprehensive regional source that is that is capable for providing total care for every aspect of injury from prevention to rehabilitation. 

Chippenham Hospital, as a Level I Trauma Center, is able to initiate definitive care for all patients by providing 24/7 on-site trauma surgeons required to be at bedside within 15 minutes. In addition, trauma experts with a variety of surgical specialties are on-call 24/7 and required to be at bedside within 30 minutes.

Air Care Eagle

Air Care Eagle (ACE) is HCA Virginia's medical flight helicopter based in central Virginia that provides patient transport and expedites lifesaving care for trauma patients. 

When is ACE used?

Medical flight helicopter transport is typically used to facilitate a higher level of care that is not available at the current location of the patient.

• Medical patients may include – AMI, unstable angina, heart failure, cardiogenic shock, post cardiac arrest, aortic dissection or aneurysm, acute stroke, spinal cord injury and others.
• Typical trauma patients include those with penetrating or blunt trauma, wide mediastinum, spinal cord injury, pelvic fracture, or multi-system involvement.
• Patients may be transported to any specialty center in the region, including the Burn and Reconstruction Center of Chippenham Hospital
• Transport of high-risk OB patients
• When ground transport options are not available / have ETA that may be detrimental to patient condition