INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A new designation means central Indiana is more equipped than ever to care for injured children. Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at Ascension St. Vincent in Indianapolis has achieved certification as a Level One Trauma Center through the American College of Surgeons.

The National Institutes of Health says Level One centers must be “capable of providing total care for every aspect of the most life-threatening of injuries — from prevention through rehabilitation.”

“The idea is that we can handle the most complex injured patients,” Dr. Brett Engbrecht, the hospital’s pediatric trauma medical director, said Thursday on Daybreak.

According to Ascension, that means 24-hour in-house coverage by general surgeons and quick access to care in surgical specialties, anesthesiology, radiology, internal medicine, critical care, and more.

Certification ends a long process, including early plans that started several years ago and two years of provisional Level One status beginning in 2021. During the provisional period, ACS teams inspect the facilities, equipment, and personnel.

“Look at your program; look at how you take care of patients to verify that you’re providing the best care that’s possible,” Enbrecht explained.

According to the Indiana Hospital Association, the state now has five Level One Centers, all of them in Indianapolis. Peyton Manning joins Eskanazi Health, IU Health Methodist Hospital, Ascension St. Vincent, and Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health.

IU Health’s two Level One centers are about 2 miles apart in downtown Indianapolis; Ascension’s facilities are both on the same campus on the north side.

Engbrecht says the ability to treat adults and children under the same roof can be a valuable asset, particularly in cases where two or more members of the same family need care after a crisis.

“So we’ve worked hand in hand with the adult trauma team as we’ve sought verification. But the Children under our care are cared for by pediatric-trained providers. The adult trauma team and orthopedic surgeons and neurosurgeons take care of the adult patients. “