JCH&L Earns Designation as Level IV (Basic) Trauma Center

Jefferson Community Health & Life has earned designation as a Level IV (Basic Level) Trauma Center by the NDHH Office of Emergency Health System/Nebraska Statewide Trauma System. The certification was approved by the state agency on Aug. 22 after JCH&L met all required criteria in a site visit on July 28.

“We are happy to have the official designation as a Level IV (Basic) Trauma Center,” said Holly Wolff, JCH&L chief executive officer. “Our staff has worked diligently to attain this designation, which affirms that JCH&L provides essential and quality emergency services to our area residents.”

Level IV (Basic) Trauma Centers must demonstrate that they are equipped and staffed to provide immediate emergency care to patients with traumatic injuries. They must demonstrate they can perform initial evaluation, diagnostic tests and lab work to identify the extent of injuries. They must demonstrate that they can promptly transfer to higher level trauma centers when needed in order to optimize patient care.

Dr. Rebecca Stroklund serves as JCH&L’s trauma medical director. All providers who care for patients in the emergency department have completed Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) certification. All RNs who provide care in the ER have completed the Emergency Nurse Association Trauma Nurse certification.

“We have been working on the certification process for most of 2025 because we knew it was an important step to assure our area residents we are well-qualified to care for their loved ones in trauma situations,” said Erin Smith, RN, chief nursing officer at JCH&L. “Our ER staff play a crucial role in improving patient outcomes by focusing on rapid assessment, stabilization, and when appropriate transfer of patients with critical injuries to facilities with more specialized resources.”