Terre Haute Regional Hospital's trauma center is a 'game changer'

By Lucy Perry
Indiana Central News


Although CEO Nathan Vooys notes that he is relatively new to the Terre Haute Regional Hospital team, the process to build a trauma program began there several years ago.

While the initial plan was to seek verification as Level III center, hospital officials soon realized that wouldn't bring anything new to the community, Vooys said during a press conference this afternoon.  In fact, patients would oftentimes need to be transferred to outside areas to receive specialized care.

'However, if Regional became a Level II trauma center, it'd be a game changer for people in the Wabash Valley," Vooys said. "Today, I'm very excited to announce that the game has officially changed."

Physicians from  the hospital's  trauma team joined Vooys in announcing recent verification for the  facility as a Level II trauma center from the American College of Surgeons.The city's southside hospital first opened its doors as a trauma center in July 2015. Since then, the center has reportedly treated more than 2,000 patients with traumatic injuries from motor vehicle crashes, falls and gunshot wounds.

Trauma Medical Director Dr. Christine Toevs agrees that the achievement of Level II status is a game changer, placing the hospital as the only hospital in the 75-mile radius with trauma surgeons and other experts on-site, around the clock. 

"It is an amazing accomplishment, and I thank everyone who was involved in making this occur," she said, adding that the hospital is committed to making a difference in critically injured patient care, while treating them right here, in this community,  rather than sending them to Indianapolis or Champaign-Urbana,Ill. area trauma centers.