A<unk>  is a hospital equipped to perform as a casualty receiving station for the emergency medical services by providing the best possible medical care for traumatic injuries 24 hours a day, 365 days per year.<unk> s were established as the medical establishment realized that such injuries often require immediate and complex surgery to save the patient.
In order to qualify as a<unk> , a hospital must have a number of facilities, including a high-quality intensive-care ward and an operating room staffed around the clock. A trauma service is led by a team of trauma surgeons, including such specialists as neurosurgeons and orthopedic surgeons.  A<unk>  will often have a helipad for receiving patients by MEDEVAC.
The operation of a<unk>  is extremely expensive.  Some areas are under-served by<unk> s because of this expense (for example, Harborview Medical<unk>  in Seattle, Washington serves the states of Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska). In Florida, Orlando Regional Medical<unk> , built to serve five counties, serves more than twenty. Still, in many cases, persons injured in remote areas and brought to a<unk>  by helicopter can receive faster and better care than a person injured in a city and taken to a normal hospital by ground ambulance.
In the United States,<unk> s are ranked, from limited-care facilities up to comprehensive service in Level I<unk> s.  Some<unk> s specialize in adult or pediatric care.
Trauma center
Poison control center
Hospital
Trauma team
Minor Injuries Unit
Hospital rapid response team
Children's hospital
Psychiatric hospital