Cape Cod Hospital to Get Level III Trauma Center Status After 17 Years
Those who sustain critical injuries on Cape Cod can now be treated at Cape Cod Hospital’s new Hyannis trauma center. After receiving verification from the American College of Surgeons, the hospital received its official Level III trauma center designation from the Massachusetts Department of Health on Jan. 10, 2025.
The trauma center, located at 27 Park Ave. in Hyannis, will be part of the hospital’s Emergency Center.
Gaining this designation took 17 years, requiring the hospital to meet rigorous standards and protocols. As Cape Cod Health Care President and CEO Michael Lauf described to the Cape Cod Times in an interview on Jan. 21, “What it means is we can save your life from being transported off the Cape.”
According to the College of Surgeons, one of the main requirements for being designated a Level III center is “24-hour immediate coverage by emergency physicians and the prompt availability of general surgeons and anesthesiologists.” A Level III trauma center has a demonstrated ability to deliver prompt assessment, resuscitation, surgery, intensive care, and stabilization of injured patients and emergency operations.
Nine attending general physicians are available at Cape Cod Hospital. Dr. C. Jeffrey Siegert, a general surgeon, serves as director, and Dr. Mark Zapata is the center’s co-director.
While Cape Cod Hospital has treated trauma patients in the past, with about 1,400 trauma cases annually, it will now officially operate with the Level III Trauma Center designation. Patients may still be sent to larger hospitals if they require specialty care, but stabilizing them first at the Cape Cod Hospital is to patients’ advantage. According to Lauf, the new center will be able to keep approximately 400 people from going off the Cape to a trauma center almost an hour away.