GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) – The only children’s hospital east of I-95 is now a certified Level 1 Trauma Center.

The James and Connie Maynard’s Children’s Hospital at ECU Health Medical Center is a certified Level 1 pediatric trauma center after receiving verification from the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Committee on Trauma as a Level I Pediatric Trauma Center.

This verification makes the hospital one of only four in the state, according to officials. ECU Health Medical Center is also a Level 1 Trauma Center.

WITN is told in the fiscal year 2023, ECU Health Medical Center cared for 3,721 adult cases and 336 pediatric cases – totaling 4,057 patients.

ECU Health says almost 60% of patients at ECU Health Medical Center and Maynard Children’s Hospital are transferred in from other hospitals for a higher level of care, which is double the national average of 30%.

“Being a Level I Pediatric Trauma Center reaffirms our ability to provide timely, life-saving care for pediatric trauma patients,” said Dr. Shannon Longshore, pediatric trauma surgeon and medical director of the pediatric trauma unit, ECU Health Medical Center.

According to the ACS, Level I Trauma Centers must be capable of providing system leadership and comprehensive trauma care for all injuries.

In 2017, Maynard Children’s Hospital was first verified as a Level II Pediatric Trauma Center.

ECU Health Medical Center has been a Level I Trauma Center since 2005 and was recently given re-verification in 2024.

Officials say verification lasts three years.