Trauma Center, Delaware Valley

Delaware’s Only Level 1 Trauma Center for Kids

The Pediatric Trauma Center at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware is the state’s only Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center. This means children in the tristate area who need the most advanced pediatric emergency care are transferred here, 24/7.

A Level 1 designation is the highest offered by the American College of Surgeons. We can handle every type of injury. We have state-of-the-art facilities and life-saving equipment just for kids.

Trauma care is complex. It’s important to have experts from many medical specialties available.  At Nemours Children’s, we’re all here, under one roof.  A surgeon oversees your child’s care and works closely with other members of the team.

In addition to trauma care, our team is committed to preventing injuries in children. We’re out in the community, providing safety information and training. We want all kids to have the best chance to grow up healthy and injury-free.

Our Care Team

Your child’s trauma care team includes members from a range of departments, including:

• Pediatric surgeons — trauma surgeons who oversee your child’s care
• Emergency medicine doctors — specialists in emergency care
• Anesthesiologists — doctors who manage pain during and after procedures
• Radiologists — doctors who use imaging to help diagnose and plan care
• Critical care intensivists — doctors who manage care in critical care units
• Nurses — advance practice nurses (APN) and pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) nurses
• Surgical residents — doctors in training to be surgeons
• Supportive staff — social workers, Child Life specialists, pastoral care team and others

We also have access to other specialists as needed in orthopedics, heart surgery, neurosurgery, ophthalmology plastic surgery and otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat or ENT) and dental.

Children come to us from ground or air transport through local 911 emergency medical services or from another hospital through our Nemours Kids Transport services. Our trauma team is in constant contact during transport. We arrange the right medical care for every situation.