EAST STROUDSBURG - The Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation has recently announced that Pocono Medical Center has been granted a three-year accreditation as a Level III Trauma Center.  The Trauma Center officially began treating trauma patients on November 1, 2008 when it received its initial one-year accreditation. 

Within the past year, PMC’s Trauma Center has treated over 1,200 patients and admitted over 700 to the hospital for additional care.  Just two years ago, many of these patients would have been transferred to other hospitals outside of the region for treatment. 

Dr. David Scaff, Medical Director of the PMC Trauma Center is pleased with the support of the hospital and community in providing trauma care to this region.  “Our Trauma Center has integrated and utilized all of our healthcare resources to care for the complex cases presented through traumatic injuries.”  He added, “The health system has demonstrated how our effective teamwork, dedication, and commitment to patient care allow for us to better serve the healthcare needs of our community.” 

While Pocono Medical Center continues serving the region as a Level III Trauma Center, the hospital leadership also recently announced at their Annual Meeting that they are looking at the possibility of developing a Level II Trauma Center.  Having a Level II Trauma Center would lead to a higher level of care for more severely injured patients as well as a commitment to providing community education on trauma prevention.