Cleveland Clinic Establishes Center for Trauma

Cleveland Clinic has established the Center for Trauma as part of its commitment to delivering world-class trauma care. The center will provide strategic leadership, enterprise-wide coordination and operational alignment across all Cleveland Clinic trauma centers.

Cleveland Clinic currently operates a Level I trauma center at Akron General and Level II trauma centers at Hillcrest, Fairview and Mercy hospitals for adult patients. In January, Cleveland Clinic announced that it is pursuing a Level I trauma center for adult and pediatric patients on its Main Campus.

“Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Trauma will help move trauma care forward in all the communities we serve,” said Miguel Regueiro, M.D., Chief of Staff at Cleveland Clinic. “A more integrated system will allow us to strengthen efforts to advance trauma quality, research, education and injury prevention programs, ultimately benefiting the patients and families who rely on our trauma services.”

The center will work with other regional, state and national trauma organizations to foster collaborative efforts that benefit our communities and improve the care of injured patients. 

Jeffrey Claridge, M.D., will serve as Enterprise Medical Director of the Center for Trauma. In this role, Dr. Claridge will provide unified physician leadership for the enterprise trauma system, helping to align clinical priorities, support regional trauma leaders and advance best practices across Cleveland Clinic's trauma programs. He will also continue to provide clinical care as a trauma surgeon, surgical intensivist, bariatric surgeon and emergency general surgeon.

Dr. Claridge joined Cleveland Clinic in 2024 as a professor of surgery at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University. He has extensive experience leading trauma initiatives, including serving as the first medical director of the Northern Ohio Trauma System in 2010 and later as chair of its board. Dr. Claridge also served as the Trauma Medical Director and Division Director of Trauma, Burns, Critical Care and Emergency General Surgery at MetroHealth Medical Center for more than 14 years.

“I am pleased to help lead this work across Cleveland Clinic,” said Dr. Claridge. “The Center for Trauma gives us a structure to bring our programs together, share what is working well, innovate and, most importantly, enhance care for the seriously injured patients we serve.”

Cleveland Clinic’s plans to establish a Level I trauma center continue to move forward. The American College of Surgeons (ACS) recently conducted a site visit and provided recommendations related to the Level I trauma center designation. 

“The American College of Surgeons visit was positive, with their team commenting on the breadth of surgical and medical services available at Cleveland Clinic to serve trauma patients in the future,” said Scott Steele, M.D., president of Cleveland Clinic Main Campus submarket. “We look forward to implementing their feedback, which will help ensure Cleveland Clinic is prepared to meet the standards for becoming a verified trauma center that will provide the best care possible for the community.”

The ACS team highlighted several strengths, including Cleveland Clinic’s quality of patient care, existing trauma program and Emergency Department leadership; access to surgical, medical and allied health services; specialty support for the trauma program; and pediatric readiness. As planning continues, Cleveland Clinic teams will work toward creating a trauma registry, further developing trauma resources and infrastructure, and enhancing coordination and collaboration across the health system. This consultation visit was separate from a verification survey, which will occur after the center begins operating on a provisional basis.

Cleveland Clinic also recently announced that it is in the early stages of planning the next phase of its Main Campus master plan to support the evolving needs of patients, caregivers and the community. Those plans include an expansion of its Emergency Department, which includes a Level 1 Trauma Center. In addition to trauma, the upgraded Emergency Department will increase capacity, strengthen care for patients with serious injuries and help relieve pressure on emergency departments across the region.

Cleveland Clinic anticipates starting Level I trauma operations at Main Campus on a provisional basis in the first quarter of 2028.