To be certified as a Level I trauma center, a hospital must meet rigorous national standards for comprehensive, round-the-clock care of just about any injury, whether caused by a car, snowmobile, gun or farm machine. Upstate University Hospital is the only Level I trauma center between Albany and Rochester and serves an area from Canada to Pennsylvania. Surgeon William Marx, DO, Upstate's chief of trauma, critical care and burns (at right in photo), explains how Level I offers the highest level of care. The emergency room staff is trained to deal with trauma quickly and can transfer a patient within minutes of arrival to an operating room or a special trauma intensive care unit, with a full staff of specialists at the ready to deal with a wide range of injuries, notes nurse Jolene Kittle (at left), trauma program manager. Upstate‘s trauma center also teaches trauma prevention in the community and maintains relationships with emergency departments and ambulance crews throughout the region.