Level I Trauma Center
The right care at the right time can be lifesaving
Most injuries you have can be treated in a doctor’s office or emergency department. Injuries that are traumatic often need expert, lifesaving care available at a Level I Trauma Center. This is the highest level of trauma care available in the U.S.
The Most Advanced Trauma Care Available
The question of where to go in a life or death emergency does not come up often for most people, if ever. When serious injuries do arise, IU Health is ready to help.
We are home to Indiana’s most established Level I Adult Trauma Center at IU Health Methodist Hospital. We are also home to the state’s only Level I Pediatric Trauma Center verified by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) at Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health. These are both located in Indianapolis.
We also offer the state's only Level III trauma centers:
- In Lafayette at IU Health Arnett Hospital
- In Muncie at IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital
IU Health Bloomington Hospital is working on Level III Trauma Center verification.
This means we have the people and technology to provide comprehensive care for any type of injury at any time.
A trauma center is not the same as an emergency department. At IU Health, our Trauma Centers provide advanced, comprehensive care for traumatic injuries. We give patients access to more resources and technology than they can receive in an emergency department. Trauma centers must have the following:
- Operating rooms
- Imaging technology
- Trauma surgeons
- Other specialty physicians available quickly at all times
Trauma centers must be dedicated to preventing injury, providing high-quality care and improving staff education for treating and assessing traumatic injuries.
Trauma refers to damage that the body sustains from an external force. Potential sources of trauma include automobile accidents, falls, and knife and gunshot wounds. Examples of trauma include:
- Multiple fractures
- Acute spine injuries
- Punctured lungs
- Stab wounds
- Brain injuries
By delivering specialized care right away, the trauma centers of IU Health save lives and optimize recovery. Trauma centers are verified from levels one through four by the American College of Surgeons. Level I Trauma Centers offer the most complete set of services. These range from prevention through rehabilitation.
Fewer than 10 percent of U.S. hospitals have a trauma center. Fortunately, only a few patients have injuries severe enough to need these services. Most injuries can be treated in a typical emergency department or, in the case of milder strains and pains, at a primary care office or urgent care center.
When you have traumatic injuries, the right care at the right time can be lifesaving. At IU Health, we have assembled the people and resources to provide top-quality care for the most seriously injured patients—no matter when they come to us.
Our Services
Our trauma services ensure the best possible outcomes for the most critical cases. Through our affiliation with the Indiana University School of Medicine, our surgeons and emergency medicine physicians train the next generation of physicians. We also carry out innovative research in trauma care.
We're committed to making our full expertise and technology available at all times. That's what sets our trauma care apart. Our resources and services include:
Specialists
Our trauma team is available 24 hours a day. The team of specialists includes:
- Trauma surgeons
- Trauma nurses
- Neurosurgeons
- Orthopedic surgeons
- Cardiothoracic specialists
- Surgeons
- Spine specialists
This team has several decades of experience managing patients with the most severe and complex injuries.
Advanced Technology
We are committed to the most innovative technologies. For example, our “hybrid suite” is an operating room equipped with advanced imaging options. In this suite, we combine traditional “open” surgery with minimally invasive approaches to control bleeding in severely injured and high-risk patients.
Other 24-hour key services include:
- Anesthesia
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- Laboratory
- Blood bank
- Conventional catheter angiography
- Sonography
IU Health LifeLine
This 24-hour critical care transport service provides emergency helicopter and ground critical care transport, bringing patients rapidly from remote areas or community hospitals to our Level I Trauma Centers.
Rehabilitation
We make sure you have access to occupational therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy and social services during your acute phase of care. From the time of injury to rehabilitation, we are committed to providing the highest level of care.
What To Expect
The Most Advanced Trauma Care Available
The question of where to go in a life or death emergency does not come up often for most people, if ever. When serious injuries do arise, IU Health is ready to help.
We are home to Indiana’s most established Level I Adult Trauma Center at IU Health Methodist Hospital. We are also home to the state’s only Level I Pediatric Trauma Center verified by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) at Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health. These are both located in Indianapolis.
We also offer the state's only Level III trauma centers:
- In Lafayette at IU Health Arnett Hospital
- In Muncie at IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital
IU Health Bloomington Hospital is working on Level III Trauma Center verification.
This means we have the people and technology to provide comprehensive care for any type of injury at any time.
A trauma center is not the same as an emergency department. At IU Health, our Trauma Centers provide advanced, comprehensive care for traumatic injuries. We give patients access to more resources and technology than they can receive in an emergency department. Trauma centers must have the following:
- Operating rooms
- Imaging technology
- Trauma surgeons
- Other specialty physicians available quickly at all times
Trauma centers must be dedicated to preventing injury, providing high-quality care and improving staff education for treating and assessing traumatic injuries.
Trauma refers to damage that the body sustains from an external force. Potential sources of trauma include automobile accidents, falls, and knife and gunshot wounds. Examples of trauma include:
- Multiple fractures
- Acute spine injuries
- Punctured lungs
- Stab wounds
- Brain injuries
By delivering specialized care right away, the trauma centers of IU Health save lives and optimize recovery. Trauma centers are verified from levels one through four by the American College of Surgeons. Level I Trauma Centers offer the most complete set of services. These range from prevention through rehabilitation.
Fewer than 10 percent of U.S. hospitals have a trauma center. Fortunately, only a few patients have injuries severe enough to need these services. Most injuries can be treated in a typical emergency department or, in the case of milder strains and pains, at a primary care office or urgent care center.
When you have traumatic injuries, the right care at the right time can be lifesaving. At IU Health, we have assembled the people and resources to provide top-quality care for the most seriously injured patients—no matter when they come to us.
Our Services
Our trauma services ensure the best possible outcomes for the most critical cases. Through our affiliation with the Indiana University School of Medicine, our surgeons and emergency medicine physicians train the next generation of physicians. We also carry out innovative research in trauma care.
We're committed to making our full expertise and technology available at all times. That's what sets our trauma care apart. Our resources and services include:
Specialists
Our trauma team is available 24 hours a day. The team of specialists includes:
- Trauma surgeons
- Trauma nurses
- Neurosurgeons
- Orthopedic surgeons
- Cardiothoracic specialists
- Surgeons
- Spine specialists
This team has several decades of experience managing patients with the most severe and complex injuries.
Advanced Technology
We are committed to the most innovative technologies. For example, our “hybrid suite” is an operating room equipped with advanced imaging options. In this suite, we combine traditional “open” surgery with minimally invasive approaches to control bleeding in severely injured and high-risk patients.
Other 24-hour key services include:
- Anesthesia
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- Laboratory
- Blood bank
- Conventional catheter angiography
- Sonography
IU Health LifeLine
This 24-hour critical care transport service provides emergency helicopter and ground critical care transport, bringing patients rapidly from remote areas or community hospitals to our Level I Trauma Centers.
Rehabilitation
We make sure you have access to occupational therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy and social services during your acute phase of care. From the time of injury to rehabilitation, we are committed to providing the highest level of care.
Jun 29
Ashley Miller doesn’t remember the wreck. It happened two days after high school graduation. She was enlisted in the Navy and was preparing to ship out for basic training. She had big plans. What she can recall is that on a summer night in early June 2013, she was riding in a truck with four friends on the backroads of Bloomington. But the next thing she remembers is waking up in IU Health Methodist Hospital’s ICU in serious pain and hallucinating from heavy pain meds. Two weeks had passed since the accident, and she’d been in a medically induced coma. Ashley was told that the driver had lost control, the truck flipped several times, and paramedics found her several feet away, face-down in a ditch. The driver died on impact. Three others were treated and released from hospitals. No one in the vehicle was wearing a seatbelt. Photograph of the truck following the accident Paramedics took Ashley to IU Health Bloomington, where doctors discovered massive internal injuries. She was flown via IU Health LifeLine to the IU Health Methodist Hospital’s Level 1 Trauma Center. “I was bleeding internally, and both lungs were collapsed. They lost me twice on the flight,”
Patient Stories for Level I Trauma Center
Jun 29
Ashley Miller doesn’t remember the wreck. It happened two days after high school graduation. She was enlisted in the Navy and was preparing to ship out for basic training. She had big plans. What she can recall is that on a summer night in early June 2013, she was riding in a truck with four friends on the backroads of Bloomington. But the next thing she remembers is waking up in IU Health Methodist Hospital’s ICU in serious pain and hallucinating from heavy pain meds. Two weeks had passed since the accident, and she’d been in a medically induced coma. Ashley was told that the driver had lost control, the truck flipped several times, and paramedics found her several feet away, face-down in a ditch. The driver died on impact. Three others were treated and released from hospitals. No one in the vehicle was wearing a seatbelt. Photograph of the truck following the accident Paramedics took Ashley to IU Health Bloomington, where doctors discovered massive internal injuries. She was flown via IU Health LifeLine to the IU Health Methodist Hospital’s Level 1 Trauma Center. “I was bleeding internally, and both lungs were collapsed. They lost me twice on the flight,”