When a gunman opened fire at a Walmart in Chesapeake in 2022, the victims were just minutes away from Chesapeake Regional Medical Center. But because the hospital wasn’t a designated trauma center, the severely injured had to be transported more than 20 miles to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital.
Officials said travel time and distance can be a matter of life and death for those with major trauma, and they've now closed that gap in care at Chesapeake Regional.
Following a site team review in July, Chesapeake Regional was designated a provisional Level III Adult Trauma Center by the State Health Commissioner, a move that expands trauma care options for residents in southern Hampton Roads and northeastern North Carolina.
The hospital will operate under provisional status for one year, during which it must meet state standards for the full certification.
The new status allows the hospital to treat severely injured patients — those who, until recently, had to be transferred to Norfolk’s Level 1 Trauma Center.
“The farther you have to travel when you're critically injured, it really impacts your survival and recovery from significant injuries,” said Martin O’Grady, trauma program medical director at Chesapeake Regional.
With roughly 60,000 emergency visits annually and the highest number of ambulance arrivals in Hampton Roads, O’Grady said trauma center status ensures patients in Chesapeake and North Carolina will have faster access to lifesaving care closer to home.
To prepare, the hospital upgraded its blood bank, added specialized trauma equipment, created new alert systems and required nursing staff to complete training courses on trauma care standards.
According to the Virginia Health Department, Level III trauma centers can provide “prompt assessment, resuscitation, stabilization and emergency operations.”
O’Grady said the shift to trauma care was daunting at first, with staff adjusting to a faster pace and new patient demands, but confidence is growing as systems improve and the program expands.
Mark Day, the trauma program director at Chesapeake Regional, said the new designation will help recruit more experienced nurses, including military spouses moving to Hampton Roads from all over the country.
“They're able to come in here and bring their expertise to help and train the nurses that are already here,” Day said.
