Trauma Center History: First Trauma Center in US Turns 60!
- Sarah Spilman
- 3 days ago
- 1 min read
Updated: 40 minutes ago
Did you know that the first trauma center (and burn unit) in the United States opened in Chicago on March 16, 1966? This is an important milestone in trauma center history.
Cook County Hospital (now John H Stroger Jr Hospital of Cook County) was the first comprehensive trauma unit in the country and became the model for other hospitals as they added trauma programs in the 1970s and 1980s. The hospital's history is also remarkable for opening the world's first blood bank in 1937, starting the first clinical trauma fellowship for surgical residents in 1987, and serving as the primary site for military surgery training (since 2013) given its large volume of high-acuity trauma due to firearms. In December 2025, the hospital became the first hospital in Chicago (and the second in Illinois) to be verified by the American College of Surgeons as a Level I trauma center.
Today the John H Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County is one of the busiest in the nation. The Trauma Unit has more than 5,500 annual trauma admissions, one-quarter of which are due to penetrating injury. The Emergency Department treats approximately 120,000 adults and children annually.
Happy 60th Birthday, Cook County Health Stroger Hospital Trauma Unit!
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