Tampa General Hospital and Muma Children’s Hospital at TGH Earn Renewed Level I Trauma Center Verification From the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma

The only ACS-verified Level I Trauma Center in the West Florida region, Tampa General is re-verified through January 2029, reaffirming its national standard of excellence in trauma care.

Tampa, FL. (April 10, 2026) – Tampa General Hospital (TGH) and Muma Children’s Hospital at TGH today announced the renewal of their Level I Trauma Center verification by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACS COT). The verification, which extends through Jan. 29, 2029, affirms Tampa General’s standing as the West Florida region’s only ACS-verified Level I Trauma Center and one of the nation’s premier academic trauma programs, in partnership with the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.

“Trauma care is among the most time-sensitive, high-stakes services a health system can provide, and this renewal is a testament to our extraordinarily dedicated team and how effectively we collaborate across disciplines to deliver the best care possible,” said John Couris, president and CEO of Florida Health Sciences Center | Tampa General. “As West Florida’s only ACS-verified Level I Trauma Center, we understand our profound responsibility to the patients and communities who depend on us fin their most critical moments. In partnership with the USF Health, we are delivering exceptional care today while also training the next generation of trauma surgeons and advancing the science of trauma medicine.”

ACS-verified trauma centers must meet the essential criteria that ensure optimal trauma care capability and the highest level of institutional performance, as outlined in the ACS COT’s current manual, Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient. The rigorous renewal process included an on-site review conducted in January that evaluated all aspects of the trauma program, including physician leadership, nursing coverage, harm prevention, performance improvement, and patient outcomes.

The Trauma Quality Improvement (TQIP) report from the ACS’ Verification Review Committee placed the academic health system in the top 30% (3^rd decile) nationally for severe traumatic brain injury risk-adjusted mortality. Additionally, the site visit reviewers highlighted numerous clinical and operational strengths across the program during the survey, including its neurotrauma and orthopaedic trauma programs along with robust injury prevention outreach, a highly trained registrar team, and a trauma ICU nursing model in which surgical trauma intensive care unit (STICU) nurses accompany patients through every step of their diagnostic workup. The ACS also recognized Tampa General and USF Health’s Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS), a state-of-the-art facility that provides expanded training and simulation opportunities for the trauma program, as a notable institutional strength, reinforcing the power of academic medicine to advance innovative care.

“This Level I re-verification reflects years of intentional investment in our people, our processes and our patients, and we are incredibly proud of what this distinction means to the patients we serve across our region,” said Melissa Golombek, DNP, MHCM, RN, NE-BC, CPN, executive vice president and president of Tampa General Hospital. “We are committed to continuously raising the standard for trauma care and the recent ACS review validated not only the depth of our program but also the quality of every discipline involved in how we care for our patients, from the moment EMS activates through discharge and rehabilitation.”

“Our goal has always been to build a program that is not only nationally verified, but nationally recognized as a model for academic pediatric trauma care,” said Sarah Frahn, MBA, MSN, RN, NE-BC, vice president of the TGH Women’s Institute and Muma Children’s Hospital at Tampa General. "It is the greatest privilege to care for children and families across the Tampa Bay region, and this verification affirms our commitment to delivering the highest standard of trauma care to our youngest and most vulnerable patients."

Tampa General is also a participant in the ACS Trauma Quality Improvement Program (ACS TQIP), which provides hospitals with risk-adjusted benchmarking data to continuously analyze and improve patient outcomes. Tampa General’s neurotrauma program, as one example, ranked in the third decile of TQIP for severe traumatic brain injury mortality, which is a significant marker of clinical excellence.

As an ACS-verified trauma center, Tampa General is also recognized as an ACS Surgical Quality Partner. The Surgical Quality Partner designation reflects a hospital’s dedication to consistently improving procedures and approaches to health care delivery while maintaining rigorous self-evaluation at every step. Patients can trust that care at Surgical Quality Partner hospitals adheres to the highest standards of surgical quality.

“Trauma care is a team sport, and this verification is a recognition of every provider and team member – whether clinical or ancillary support – who shows up for our patients every single day,” said Michele Moran, MBA, MSN, RN, senior vice president of emergency services and acute care surgery at Tampa General. “As the Tampa Bay region’s sole Level I Trauma Center, we serve as the safety net for the most severely injured patients across our community. The ACS review confirmed that our performance improvement culture, our community outreach and our clinical protocols are operating at the highest national standard, and we look forward to harnessing their feedback to continue leveling up.”

For more information about Tampa General’s trauma program and emergency services, visit https://www.tgh.org/institutes-and-services/emergency-and-trauma-center.