How Ascension’s largest hospital achieved level 1 trauma status 

Ascension St. John Medical Center recently became the first and only verified level 1 trauma center in Tulsa, Okla., marking a significant expansion in the state’s access to comprehensive, lifesaving care for the most severe injuries. 

The hospital is the largest inpatient facility within the St. Louis-based Ascension health system, and its journey to achieving level 1 status has been years in the making. 

“Several years ago, we sat down — myself and trauma leadership — and we said, this community deserves a level 1 and we want to be the institution that brings a level 1 to Eastern Oklahoma,” Bo Beaudry, CEO of Ascension St. John, told Becker’s. 

The path to earning level 1 trauma status verification from the American College of Surgeons is no small feat, requiring deep bench strength in critical care and 24/7 access to numerous specialities. Ascension St. John has been accredited as a level 2 trauma center for more than a decade, with the transition to level 1 reflecting a deeper commitment to delivering the highest level of trauma care for a wider region and an expanded focus on research and education. 

“We anticipate seeing additional volume, and as a function of that, we’ve done a lot of preparation to create capacity inside the hospital and inside our [emergency rooms] and operating rooms to manage any increase in volumes,” Mr. Beaudry said. 

A key factor driving the decision to pursue level 1 status was increasing demand for advanced trauma care across the region, including in parts of Southern Kansas and Western Arkansas, according to Mr. Beaudry.

Over the past few years, the hospital has focused on recruiting a full lineup of specialists required to provide comprehensive trauma care, ranging from neurosurgeons and orthopedic surgeons, to plastic surgeons. For other hospitals working to pursue level 1 status, the first step should be investing in a strong team of trauma nurses, said Thomas Aloia, MD, Ascension’s system chief clinical officer.

“You have got to have the nursing competencies, expertise and organization, because that’s really the foundation of the care,” he said. “And then you can start to layer on these specialists — you’re talking occupational therapy, speech therapy, rehab, prosthetics, etc.”

Immediate life-saving care is one essential component of trauma care. Equally important is supporting patients through recovery. As such, Dr. Aloia emphasized the importance of building out well-resourced rehabilitation services, adding that the hospital has a collection of community partnerships to ensure patients have access to ambulatory rehabilitation services post-discharge. 

Building and maintaining a robust research program is another hallmark of level 1 trauma centers. Having already operated as a level 2 center for years, Ascension St. John had an established foundation in trauma research, with experts publishing multiple papers in peer-reviewed journals. That work will continue and grow in scope as part of its level 1 commitment. 

“Oklahoma will see a mix of both blunt and penetrating trauma, which are almost two fields within a field,” Dr. Aloia said. “So they have an academic contribution to make. They publish multiple papers already, but as a level 1, you have to step up your game in terms of studying the patient scenarios, the training, etc.”

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