Kona Community Hospital on Monday announced it has been verified as a level III trauma center.

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Kona Community Hospital on Monday announced it has been verified as a level III trauma center.

The designation, given by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma, means the hospital meets criteria to care for critically injured trauma patients, officials said.

Kona Community Hospital joins other level III trauma centers, including Hilo Benioff Medical Center and Queen’s North Hawaii Community Hospital, which have around-the-clock emergency departments. On Oahu, Adventist Health Castle in Kailua became a level III trauma center in 2024, joining Pali Momi Medical Center.

“This verification is a proud moment for Kona Community Hospital, and a clear signal of where we are headed,” Clayton McGhan, CEO of West Hawaii Region, said in a news release. “The level III status confirms that our trauma program meets a national standard of excellence and fuels our commitment to keep building, improving and investing in the future of care for our community.”

The verification process involves an assessment of the facility by an external team of trauma experts, according to the hospital. It also includes an evaluation of the hospital’s regional role, along with its policies, patient care protocols, human resources availability, quality improvement processes and education efforts, officials said.

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Kona Community Hospital is a member of the Hawaii Health Systems Corp., established by the state in 1996.

Dr. Genia Taitano, trauma medical director, and Wendi Wagner, trauma program manager, oversaw the ACS verification process for the independent, rural hospital in Kealakekua.

“Care for the critically injured trauma patient is uniquely challenging in Hawaii, particularly if the patient is located outside of Oahu, the only island with a Level 1 trauma center,” Taitano said in the release. “Rural facilities, such as KCH, are limited in infrastructure, physicians and specialists, and must be extremely adaptable with a broad skill set to provide timely care, resuscitate and stabilize, and escalate care accordingly for transfer.”

She said ACS-verified trauma centers have decreased mortality rates and have better outcomes for its patients than unverified centers.

The Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu remains the state’s only level I trauma center with the highest level of care for all severe, complex injuries. ACS last year renewed Queen’s level I verification through August 2027.

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