UnityPoint Health announced that Iowa Methodist Medical Center’s trauma center in Des Moines has been re-verified as a Level I adult trauma center by the Verification Review Committee, an ad hoc committee of the Committee on Trauma of the American College of Surgeons. Level I is the highest designation available by the ACS. In addition, Blank Children’s Hospital has been re-verified as a Level II pediatric trauma center. “This is an incredible testament to the high-quality emergency and trauma care being provided each day at Iowa Methodist Medical Center and Blank Children’s Hospital,” said David Stark, president and CEO at UnityPoint Health-Des Moines. “Most Level I trauma centers are affiliated with a university. I am proud of our organization’s commitment, medical expertise, depth of resources and leadership to achieve verification as a Level I trauma center.” A trauma center is a hospital that has the resources and equipment to help care for severely injured patients, and is classified Level I, II, III or IV. ACS-verified trauma centers must meet criteria outlined by the American College of Surgeons’ Committee on Trauma. While most injuries can be treated at a local emergency department, receiving care at a Level I trauma center for severe or life-threatening injuries decreases a person’s risk of death by 25%, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.