The Elvis Presley Trauma Center is designated as a Level 1 Trauma Center in the states of Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas.
Level 1 designation means there is a multidisciplinary team of highly trained specialists in the center 24/7, waiting for you to arrive in need of medical attention.
Over the last two decades, the Center’s team of surgeons, anesthesiologists, trauma nurse practitioners, certified registered nurse anesthetists, nurses, respiratory therapists, orderlies, x-ray techs, lab techs and medical students have treated nearly 100,000 trauma patients. Regional Medical Center is home to the only Level 1 Trauma Center within 150 miles. The facility includes four shock trauma bays for initial assessment, 13 critical care assessment rooms, four dedicated operating rooms, a two-bed recovery room, 23-bed trauma intensive care unit, 12-bed trauma step-down unit, and 26-bed post-trauma unit.
Regional Medical Center is also home to MedCom – the regional medical communications center. MedCom facilitates critical ground and air ambulance-to-hospital medical communications. This vital communications network ensures that your care begins properly before you even arrive at the hospital. Learn more about MedCom here. Martin Croce, M.D., is the Medical Director at the Elvis Presley Memorial Trauma Center.
Martin A. Croce, M.D.
For 15 years, Martin A. Croce, M.D., has been the Medical Director of the Elvis Presley Trauma Center at Regional Medical Center. Established in 1983, the Elvis Presley Trauma Center is one of the nation’s three busiest trauma centers. Dr. Croce leads the only trauma center with a Level 1 designation (the highest possible level) in the states of Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas.
Originally from Camden, NJ, Croce obtained a Bachelor of Science from the University of Notre Dame before earning his medical degree from the University of Tennessee in 1983. He then completed his residency at the University of Tennessee as well as a Fellowship in Surgical Critical Care at the University of Miami, Jackson Memorial Hospital in 1989. He is currently Professor of Surgery at The University of Tennessee Health Science Center.
Many have heard Dr. Croce say, “If it’s bent, broken or bleeding, we treat it. When a patient comes it might look like organized chaos, but our team knows what to do and begins immediately when a patient comes in.” Dr. Croce’s can-do attitude has led the trauma center to today’s survival rating of 98 percent after the first 24 hours. What may look like chaos to a bystander is an opportunity for Croce and his team to help patients in their fight to recover from a traumatic injury.
When Dr. Timothy Fabian, an international expert in trauma care and research, arrived in Memphis in 1980 his vision was to create the first trauma center in the Mid-South. Patterned after the Baltimore Shock Trauma Center, the Elvis Presley Trauma Center opened its doors in 1983 under his leadership as founder. Today, the Elvis Presley Trauma Center is one of the busiest level one trauma centers in the nation, with approximately 4,500 admissions annually.
Fans all over the world have sought ways to remember Elvis Presley. In response to these requests, in 1990 the Regional One Health Foundation established a “Wall of Honor” where nearly 300 plaques are held today, each dated and inscribed according to the wishes of the donor. The Wall of Honor gives fans a way to make a contribution in Elvis’s honor. Numerous fan clubs appear on the Wall of Honor, as well as businesses that have consistently supported the Trauma Center through the years. It is truly a fitting tribute to Elvis Presley and what he stood for that so many have made the Trauma Center a priority for their charitable contributions. During the month of August, many Elvis fans come to Memphis to participate in the annual celebration of his life and tour the facility.
Visit our traumatic services page for information about services provided to adults and children with traumatic injuries.
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