Waverly Health Center (WHC) was named 2026 Level IV Trauma Center of the Year by Iowa Health and Human Services (Iowa HHS), recognizing the hospital’s commitment to providing high-quality trauma care to patients in Waverly and the surrounding communities.
As a Level IV Trauma Center, WHC maintains the staff, training, protocols and resources necessary to evaluate, stabilize and treat injured patients and coordinate transfer to a higher level of care when needed. Education and training are foundational for WHC’s trauma program. All emergency nurses complete the Trauma Nursing Core Course (TNCC), and staff regularly take part in mock trauma scenarios and collaborative training with local EMS and fire departments.
“As a rural trauma center, we understand how important timely access to emergency care is for our communities,” said Megan Waddingham, WHC trauma coordinator. “This recognition reflects more than a single year of work. It represents an ongoing, collaborative commitment to evaluating our processes, learning from every situation and continually strengthening the care we provide. We are honored to be recognized for those efforts.”
The trauma recognition comes as WHC also celebrates earning a 5-Star Overall Hospital Quality Rating from the Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services, further reflecting the organization’s focus on quality and patient care across its services.
While presenting the award to the WHC team, Sarah Eason, trauma program manager for Iowa HHS said, “Waverly Health Center’s commitment to performance improvement—and, most importantly, to the people they serve—is evident in the work they do every day.”