Any child, for anything, at any time

As the only Level I pediatric trauma center in central Virginia – and the first in the Commonwealth – our team is prepared to handle any trauma, for any child, 24/7. But we don’t just care for kids at the time of a trauma: Our mission is to change the culture of trauma and violence in our communities. As the lead agency for Safe Kids Virginia, we educate families and children on ways to stop the most common events we see – motor vehicle accidents, falls, burns and more.  

Every possible specialist. For every possible trauma. 

As a Level I pediatric trauma center, we have specialists from all medical disciplines, 24/7, to treat the most critically ill and injured children. And as an academic medical center, we offer resources, treatment and procedures that are unavailable at other hospitals in the region. Available around the clock, our pediatric specialists care for everything under the sun, ranging from broken bones to serious head and chest injuries. Children suffering from traumatic events often have injuries to multiple organ systems in the body, so care might be coordinated with any number of clinical subspecialties. With an additional national Trauma I verification by the American College of Surgeons, we make sure our resources are best aligned to the needs of our community. 

Injury and violence prevention 

We are in the community every day educating families on ways to create safe places to grow and play, free from injury or violence. We believe prevention is the best medicine! CHoR is home to Safe Kids Virginia, a local chapter of the worldwide agency dedicated to preventing injuries and keeping children safe. Our advocacy for children’s safety includes a dedicated child protection team. 

Critical care transport 

Our air and ground transport services bring patients from other medical facilities and accident scenes to CHoR for a level of care that is only available here. 

What to expect at our trauma center 

When your child arrives, they will: 

• Receive instant evaluation by a pediatric emergency medicine specialist and, if needed, consultation with a pediatric trauma surgeon. 
• See a pediatric anesthesia specialist, who will keep your child safe and manage pain – if surgery is needed. Anesthesia is safe and available for all ages. 

Our trauma team works hand-in-hand with our emergency medicine team, also based in our dedicated pediatric emergency department.  

When your child is ready to leave our trauma unit, our multidisciplinary team ensures an easy transition to their hospital room, if needed, and that all follow-up clinical specialist appointments have been scheduled. We look at not only your child’s immediate needs but also to evaluate any longer-term effects of trauma, including behavior and sleep disturbance, reliving an accident or decreased school performance. We have the professional resources to help your child and family with any need. 

A serious, sensitive approach to imaging and the use of radiation 

Imaging of your injured child using radiation is often necessary, and we know it carries a small risk. As a high-volume pediatric trauma center, we’re comfortable with evaluating injured children and often can rely on physical examinations as well as screening lab tests to help avoid imaging involving radiation. These efforts have led to a significant decrease in imaging. And when we do use imaging, we use the latest protocols to minimize pediatric radiation.