Pennsylvania now has 52 trauma centers: where they are and why they matter

PENNSYLVANIA (WJET/WFXP) — Following the approval of the closure of the Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Upland, Pennsylvania now has one fewer accredited trauma center. According to the Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation (PTSF), there are 52 remaining trauma centers in the Commonwealth as of April 23, 2025.

Trauma centers differ from regular hospitals and are the pinnacle of life-saving emergency care for traumatic injuries. These hospitals are staffed 24/7 by nurses and doctors with highly specialized training and equipment to handle everything from falls to multi-casualty incidents. Everyone involved in trauma care is on call, which may include trauma surgeons, neurosurgeons, anesthesiologists, and any other specialists, depending on the case.

Specialty resources may also include 24-hour availability of a trauma resuscitation area in the emergency department, an operating room, laboratory testing, diagnostic testing, blood bank, pharmacy, and inpatient units with specialty-trained care teams.

Hospitals seeking trauma center accreditation must adhere to the PTSF’s Standards of Accreditation, which outline the necessary resources, personnel, and protocols to provide high-quality trauma care. This intensive accreditation process ensures trauma care is delivered according to established standards of care. 

In Pennsylvania, trauma centers are differentiated by four different levels, each varying in its specific capabilities, designated as either pediatric or adult.

Level I Trauma Centers: These centers offer the highest level of trauma care, providing multidisciplinary treatment with capabilities to treat every aspect of injury. Level I centers require trauma research and a surgical residency program.

Level II Trauma Centers: These centers also provide multidisciplinary treatment for trauma patients but do not require trauma research or a surgical residency program.

Level III Trauma Centers: Typically smaller community hospitals, which are equipped to treat moderate injuries and rapidly stabilize and transport severely injured patients to a higher-level trauma center. They are not required to have neurosurgical services.

Level IV Trauma Centers: These are often located in rural areas and can provide initial care, emergency care, and stabilization while arranging transfer to a higher level of trauma care.

According to PTSF, “A trauma system, unlike a trauma center, is a network of trauma hospitals and many additional services including Emergency Medical Services (EMS), rehabilitation facilities and trauma prevention organizations. Research shows that in states where there is a trauma system in place, the death rate is drastically reduced.”

List of Pennsylvania Trauma Centers (as of April 23, 2025)

Combined Adult & Pediatric Level I Trauma Center

• Hersey | Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center/Penn State Health Children’s Hospital

Combined Adult Level I / Pediatric Level II Trauma Centers

• Allentown | Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest/Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital
• Danville | Geisinger Medical Center/Geisinger Janet Weis Children’s Hospital

Adult Level I Trauma Centers

• Bethlehem | St. Luke’s University Hospital
• Johnstown | Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center
• Lancaster | Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health
• Philadelphia | Jefferson Einstein Hospital
• Philadelphia | Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
• Philadelphia | Penn Presbyterian Medical Center
• Philadelphia | Temple University Hospital
• Pittsburgh | AHN Allegheny General Hospital
• Pittsburgh | UPMC Mercy
• Pittsburgh | UPMC Presbyterian
• Sayre | Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital
• West Reading | Reading Hospital
• Wilkes-Barre | Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center
• York | WellSpan York Hospital

Pediatric Level I Trauma Centers

• Philadelphia | Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)
• Philadelphia | St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children
• Pittsburgh | UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh

Adult Level II Trauma Centers

• Abington | Jefferson Abington Hospital
• Bethlehem | Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg
• Camp Hill | Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center
• DuBois | Penn Highlands Healthcare
• Easton | St. Luke’s Hospital Anderson Campus
• Erie | UPMC Hamot
• Langhorne | St. Mary Medical Center
• Monroeville | AHN Forbes
• Paoli | Paoli Hospital
• Philadelphia | Jefferson Torresdale Hospital
• Scranton | Geisinger Community Medical Center
• Sellersville | Grand View Health
• Williamsport | UPMC Williamsport
• Wynnewood | Lankenau Medical Center

Level III Trauma Centers

• Altoona | UPMC Altoona
• East Stroudsburg | Lehigh Valley Hospital-Pocono

Level IV Trauma Centers

• Coaldale | St. Luke’s Hospital – Miners Campus
• Easton | Lehigh Valley Hospital-Hecktown Oaks
• Grove City | AHN Grove City
• Hastings | Conemaugh Miners Medical Center
• Hazleton | Lehigh Valley Hospital-Hazleton
• Honesdale | Wayne Memorial Hospital
• Jersey Shore | Geisinger Jersey Shore Hospital
• Lehighton | St. Luke’s-Carbon Campus
• Lewistown | Geisinger Lewistown Hospital
• McConnellsburg | Fulton County Medical Center
• Orwigsburg | Geisinger St. Luke’s Hospital
• Pottsville | Lehigh Valley Hospital-Schuylkill
• Quakertown | St. Luke’s Hospital-Upper Bucks Campus
• Roaring Spring | Conemaugh Nason Medical Center
• Stroudsburg | St. Luke’s Hospital-Monroe Campus
• Troy | Guthrie Troy Community Hospital