Salina Regional Health Center’s trauma program has received Level III verification from the American College of Surgeons.

The Salina hospital has been working toward this designation for the past three years, according to a news release.

“This is probably the most difficult accreditation process for a hospital to achieve,” said Jake Breeding, M.D., trauma medical director.

Salina Regional’s efforts match those of a statewide initiative to have at least a level III trauma center in each geographical region of Kansas.

The trauma team consists of a trauma surgeon, emergency department physician, trauma nurse, intensive care nurse, surgical nurse and staff from radiology, laboratory, blood bank, respiratory care, security and chaplaincy.

Paramedics and doctors in the region have a dedicated line to call for traumatically injured patients, which sets off a cascade of alerts to people on the response team to report to the trauma suite in the emergency department.