A trauma center is defined as a specialized hospital facility distinguished by the immediate availability of specialized surgeons, physician specialists, anesthesiologists, nurses, and resuscitation and life support equipment on a 24 hour basis to care for severely injured patients or those at risk for severe injury. Trauma Centers employ hundreds of workers across the state while serving hundreds that are in need of care. There are only a limited number of centers across the state, usually located at major or regional hospitals. As a result, people seeking services provided by a trauma center often travel significant distances within a region to reach one. Trauma Center Designation Criteria (203KB) are produced by the North Carolina Office of Emergency Medical Services (NC EMS). Trauma centers in North Carolina include:

• Mission Hospitals (Asheville)

• Cleveland Regional Medical Center (Shelby)
• Carolinas Medical Center (Charlotte)
• Northeast Medical Center (Concord)
• Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center
  (Winston-Salem)
• Moses Cone Memorial Hospital (Greensboro)
• University of North Carolina Hospitals (Chapel Hill)
• Duke University Medical Center (Durham)
• WakeMed (Raleigh)
• New Hanover Regional Medical Center (Wilmington)
• Pitt County Memorial Hospital (Greenville)

Three different levels of trauma centers reside in the state. Level I facilities have the capability of pro-viding leadership, research, and total care for every aspect of injury from prevention to rehabilitation. Level II facilities provide definitive trauma care regardless of the severity of the injury, but may not be able to provide the same comprehensive care as a Level I trauma center, and does not have trauma research as a primary objective. Level III facilities provide prompt assessment, resuscitation, emergency operations, and stabilization, and arranges for hospital transfer as needed to a Level I or II trauma center.

View a Map of the Trauma Centers in North Carolina.