Kona Community Hospital achieves national trauma care recognition

Kona Community Hospital has earned Level III trauma center verification from the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma, a designation that recognizes the hospital’s ability to provide specialized care for seriously injured patients and marks a milestone for the rural West Hawaiʻi facility.

The verification confirms the hospital meets national standards for trauma care established by the American College of Surgeons.

The designation follows an extensive review by an external team of trauma experts who evaluated the hospital’s role within the region, staffing, facilities, patient care protocols, quality improvement efforts, and educational programs.

“This verification is a proud moment for Kona Community Hospital, and a clear signal of where we are headed,” said Clayton McGhan, CEO of the West Hawaiʻi Region.

“The Level III status confirms that our trauma program meets a national standard of excellence and fuels our commitment to keep building, improving, and investing in the future of care for our community.”

The achievement is particularly significant because Kona Community Hospital is an independent rural facility rather than part of a larger health system. It is also the first hospital within the Hawaiʻi Health Systems Corporation to receive ACS trauma center verification.

Dr. Genia Taitano, the hospital’s trauma medical director, said providing trauma care in Hawaiʻi presents unique challenges, especially for patients outside Oʻahu, which is home to the state’s only Level I trauma center.

“Rural facilities, such as KCH, are limited in infrastructure, physicians and specialists, and must be extremely adaptable with a broad skill set to provide timely care, resuscitate and stabilize, and escalate care accordingly for transfer,” Taitano said.

Hospital officials said the verification was achieved under the leadership of Taitano and Trauma Program Manager Wendi Wagner.

Taitano said verified trauma centers have been associated with lower mortality rates and improved patient outcomes compared with hospitals that have not received verification.

“Through critical review of our practices, open communication, and a willingness to make changes, we have achieved something exemplary for our community,” she said.

As part of the verification, Kona Community Hospital also becomes an ACS Surgical Quality Partner, a designation recognizing hospitals that demonstrate a commitment to continuously evaluating and improving surgical care while adhering to nationally recognized quality standards.

“As an ACS Surgical Quality Partner, Kona Community Hospital has shown a commitment providing the best possible patient care, evaluating that care in a rigorous fashion, and dedicating themselves to continuous self-improvement,” said Dr. Patricia L. Turner, executive director and chief executive officer of the American College of Surgeons.

The hospital also participates in the American College of Surgeons Trauma Quality Improvement Program, which collects and analyzes surgical data to help hospitals improve trauma care and patient outcomes.

The program complements the trauma verification process by providing participating hospitals with benchmarking tools, data analysis, and access to best practices from trauma centers nationwide.

Hospital leaders said the combined programs help ensure trauma patients receive high-quality care, an important consideration because those requiring emergency trauma treatment often have little choice in where they are taken for care.