MIAMI, Jan. 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Miguel "Mike" B. Fernandez Family Pediatric Trauma Center at Nicklaus Children's Hospital Emergency Department has received reverification as a Level 1 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 commitment to providing life-saving care to children throughout South Florida. Nicklaus Children's is the only hospital in South Florida to achieve Level I Pediatric Trauma Center verification.

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 necessary hospital resources for trauma care, but also a spectrum of care to address the needs of all injured patients.

This reverification allows Nicklaus Children's to continue operating as a Pediatric Trauma Center through 2025. The hospital was also verified as a Level 1 Trauma Center by the ACS Committee in 2018, making Nicklaus Children's the only hospital in South Florida to achieve Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center verification at the time.

"We are pleased to have earned this reverification. It is a testament to our team of doctors, nurses and support staff who are committed to providing every child treated at our trauma center with exceptional care," said Perry Ann Reed, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Nicklaus Children's Health System and President at Nicklaus Children's Hospital.

The Miguel "Mike" B. Fernandez Family Pediatric Trauma Center at Nicklaus Children's Hospital Emergency Department is one of only two freestanding pediatric trauma centers in the state of Florida and the only freestanding trauma center in South Florida The Trauma Center currently includes four trauma treatment bays within the Emergency Department capable of treating up to eight traumatically injured patients and serves children from birth to under 16 years of age, with outstanding outcomes.

About Nicklaus Children's Hospital

Founded in 1950 by Variety Clubs International, Nicklaus Children's Hospital is South Florida's only licensed specialty hospital exclusively for children, with approximately 800 attending physicians, including more than 500 pediatric subspecialists. The 309-bed hospital, known as Miami Children's Hospital from 1983 through 2014, is renowned for excellence in all aspects of pediatric medicine with many specialty programs routinely ranked among the best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report since 2008. In the 2022-2023 U.S. News ranking, the hospital tied with two other hospitals as the number one children's hospital in Florida. The hospital is also home to the largest pediatric teaching program in the southeastern United States and since 2003 has been designated an American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Magnet facility, the nursing profession's most prestigious institutional honor. For more information, please visit www.nicklauschildrens.org

For more information:

Rachel Bixby305-898-9165

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SOURCE Nicklaus Children's Health System