Lawrence + Memorial Hospital (L+M) in New London, Connecticut, has been verified by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) as a Level III Trauma Center. This verification acknowledges the hospital’s ability to deliver high-quality trauma care for patients in southeastern Connecticut.
The ACS verification process is based on international standards that require hospitals to provide immediate assessment, resuscitation, surgical capabilities, and stabilization for injured patients. As the only acute care hospital in the region, L+M’s new status means that residents and visitors have local access to lifesaving trauma services and follow-up care.
Preparation for this verification was coordinated with L+M’s ongoing Emergency Department renovation project. The renovated department, expected to be completed later this year, will include expanded private treatment rooms and two dedicated trauma rooms equipped with specialized technology for treating critically injured patients.
“Having a verified and designated trauma center reduces death and disability for injured people and makes our community safer,” said Dr. Stephanie Joyce, Trauma medical director at L+M. She reported that more than 870 trauma patients were treated at the hospital in 2025.
Jessica Mancarella, RN, who manages the trauma program and led the three-year voluntary review process, said: “Earning Level III Trauma Center designation reflects the dedication, expertise, compassion, and skills of our staff. Their commitment to excellence ensures that patients and families in our community have access to trusted, high‑quality trauma care when they need it most.”
The ACS evaluation includes reviewing a hospital’s resources and performance in trauma care. To achieve Level III status, hospitals must ensure round-the-clock coverage by emergency medicine physicians as well as prompt availability of general surgeons and anesthesiologists. They are also required to show leadership in injury prevention efforts, maintain ongoing education for staff involved in trauma care, and participate in national benchmarking of trauma outcomes.
With this new designation, L+M joins other Yale New Haven Health system hospitals with similar designations: Bridgeport Hospital (Level II), Greenwich Hospital (Level III), and Yale New Haven Hospital (Level I).
Lawrence + Memorial Hospital is a non-profit institution with 308 beds serving southeastern Connecticut and southern Rhode Island since 1912. It provides medical, surgical, pediatric, psychiatric, obstetrical care as well as cardiac programs including acute treatment and rehabilitation. It remains the only hospital in eastern Connecticut offering both emergency and elective angioplasty procedures through its cardiac services.
