Dell Children’s Medical Center North (DCMCN) has elevated its trauma certification to Level lII and now operates as an advanced trauma center, capable of Level III trauma care. The hospital is now the only level 3 pediatric trauma hospital in Austin and only one of three level 3 pediatric trauma centers in the state of Texas. Dell Children’s North joins its sister hospital with this designation as Dell Children’s Medical Center which currently is the only level 1 trauma pediatric hospital in Austin. This designation is part of Ascension Texas’ commitment to provide comprehensive and complex care across all of our hospitals in each of the communities we serve.
Dell Children’s leadership and staff went through a comprehensive process to achieve level three trauma status including:
- 12 months of patient data collection
- Individual review of each and every patient case
- Submitted application with the state of Texas DSHS for approval of “In Active Pursuit”
- 2 day full facility survey by Texas EMS Trauma and Acute Care Foundation (TETAF)
- In depth nursing education extending for teams working in the Emergency Department, Surgical Services, Acute Care, and PICU
- Nursing documentation action and education plan - selected for presentation at the 2025 Society of Trauma Nurses TraumaCON
- Creation of patient registry and data aggregation to assess for program needs
- Initiation of Safety Center at DCMC-N to provide pediatric Injury Prevention materials such as car seats, life jackets, and helmets
- Creation and implementation of Trauma Guidelines specific to our location and patient population
“I’d like to congratulate all of our physicians, nurses and staff for helping us receive this new designation,” said Adam Messer, President of Dell Children’s Medical Center. “As Central Texas continues to grow, it’s imperative that we invest in our hospitals and ensure we have the latest trauma advancements and staff available to serve our patients.”
“I’m thrilled and proud of our emergency team for earning this recognition. It reflects the excellent care our teams provide every day to young patients,” added Cathy Heckenlively, Chief Administrative Officer at Dell Children’s North.
Providing advanced care close to home
When an accident happens, getting the right care at the right time is critical. DCMCN 24/7 specialized trauma team and hospital operations, including an ER, OR, intensive care unit, acute care - trauma/orthopedics unit, radiology, lab and blood bank, and inpatient pharmacy, offer a full spectrum of medical and surgical care.
Dell Children’s Medical Center North is part of Ascension, the largest nonprofit health system in the U.S. and the world’s largest Catholic health system. The 187,000 facility opened in 2023 with 36 patient rooms and provides care for medical, surgical, pediatric care along with a pharmacy. The hospital provides treatments for cancer and blood disorder care, surgical care, sleep medicine, pulmonology, gastroenterology, endocrinology, rehabilitation, imaging and more.
