The availability of a nearby trauma center can literally be the difference between life and death.

UW Health’s Level I Trauma Center is one of only two Level I facilities in Wisconsin verified by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) to provide the highest and very best care for injured patients. And of those two, only UW Health is also a verified burn center. The Level I designation means –

• More hands on deck. Expert trauma physicians, nurses and technicians are always at University Hospital — 10 medical specialties are in-house 24/7/365.
• More experience. In 2018, the UW Health’s Level I Trauma Center cared for more than 3,200 trauma patients, roughly nine critically injured or critically ill patients each day.

The bottom line: more lives saved. According to Dr. Ann O’Rourke, trauma medical director, “The risk of death is 25% lower at a Level I trauma center as compared to Level II trauma centers, which have a death risk of 15% lower compared to non-trauma centers.“

UW Health’s Level I Trauma Center is also a statewide resource for hospitals and emergency personnel, a provider of emergency education to first responders, a resource for injury prevention programs and a groundbreaking trauma research lab.

When and where to get medical attention is always a decision between patients and their care providers. However, Quartz’s relationship with UW Health provides seamless access to one of the elite comprehensive trauma facilities in the United States.