CLEVELAND — Cleveland Clinic is working to establish a Level 1 trauma center at its main campus. The healthcare system announced on Thursday that it plans to add a trauma center to fill a gap in critical care services at its flagship location. Level 1 trauma centers offer specialized surgeons, physicians, and critical care specialists available around the clock.
"We are really excited. This is a big day for us because we are announcing the intent to pursue level one trauma designation," said Jorge Guzman, a physician and president for the Northeast Ohio Market for the Cleveland Clinic. "This is a journey. It takes about two years."
Reaction to expansion
MetroHealth, another Level 1 trauma center in the city, expressed concerns about the plan.
"MetroHealth is alarmed for our community and calls on the Cleveland Clinic to reevaluate its plans," MetroHealth said in a statement. "Like similarly sized metropolitan areas, Greater Cleveland cannot sustain three Level 1 Trauma Centers. It will harm patient outcomes and increase costs for the entire community."
University Hospitals said they hope to collaborate as the new center comes.
“We hope to be able to work together across the Level I trauma providers to ensure that our community always has access to the best trauma care,” said a spokesperson for University Hospitals.
A spokesperson from Cleveland EMS sent out a statement saying, "Anytime there are multiple options for care throughout the City that can only be viewed as a positive for the residents and visitors in need of medical care.."
Potential Issue:
Level 1 trauma centers treat gunshot victims, and according to Ohio Emergency Medical Services data from 2023, roughly 471 gunshot patients arrived at Cuyahoga County hospitals.
News 5 investigator Sarah Buduson spoke to state Rep. Darnell Brewer (D-Cleveland) on Friday, who sounded the alarm on a policy the clinic has.
An encounter that occurred in spring 2025 was brought to light by Signal Cleveland in December. Brewer was at the Cleveland Clinic when he stumbled upon a scene involving Cleveland Clinic Police. The incident made him question how the clinic treats people who are just trying to help.
A man named Ibrahim Alim took his friend, who was wounded by a gunshot, to the Cleveland Clinic emergency room at their main campus. Once Alim arrived, Cleveland Clinic Police handcuffed and detained him outside the ER.
The reason being because the person Alim drove to the ER had a gunshot wound.
Brewer was at the hospital to visit his mom when he saw police take Alim to the ground.
"He was immediately, I want to say, accosted by the Cleveland Clinic police," said Brewer. "His keys were taken out of the car. He was detained. Put inside of a car. Unprovoked. Without even asking questions."
Body camera video showed what Brewer witnessed in person.
VIEWER DISCRETION: The video may be hard to watch as it contains explicit language and footage that some may find disturbing.
Brewer began asking questions, and it turned out that it was Cleveland Clinic's policy to detain any person accompanying a gunshot victim.
The clinic says it was "developed in response to a rise in violence at their emergency departments" and "is not meant to discourage people from bringing patients to the hospital."
Buduson asked Brewer, "Is that constitutional? Can they do that?"
"In speaking with some of the scholars and speaking with some of the lawyers, I don't believe its constitutional, they don't believe its constitutional... and something that definitely needs to be addressed," Brewer said.
Brewer also questioned whether there is a need for another trauma center, as there are already three in Northeast Ohio. He also wants to know how the Cleveland Clinic would staff the facility, how it would impact EMS routes and what would happen to patients who can't afford to pay.
"Maybe they have some data that I don't see. They need to share that data. In looking at the stats, I believe those two hospital systems, three hospital systems, are doing some of the best things, some of the best work already, so why do we need to expand?" Brewer said.
According to Brewer, he hasn't received a response from the Cleveland Clinic about his concerns.
We reached out to Cleveland Clinic today with similar questions and haven't received a response yet.
Why go Level 1?
Cleveland Clinic currently operates a Level 1 trauma center at Akron General Hospital and Level 2 trauma centers at Hillcrest, Fairview, and Mercy hospitals for adult patients.
Guzman said the healthcare system has been considering this move for many years, driven by two main factors: the need for trauma care and continuity of care for patients.
"We have hundreds of patients every year that we need to transfer out of our EDs to other systems that are able and designated as level one," Guzman said. "That of course, is something that has many risks. Transporting these patients is not simple. And in trauma care, minutes matter, and we could offer services here if we're ready to do that."
The project will require hiring additional nurses, doctors and technicians, though many current Cleveland Clinic staff already have trauma training from their medical education.
"A lot of physicians, nurses, and technicians have already received training. They will need some upskilling to be able to provide the care that we need, but we already have that expertise," Guzman said.
The Cleveland Clinic has not yet determined the project's cost, but plans to allocate resources through various funding sources as the process develops.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, trauma is a leading cause of death for individuals aged 1-44. Data from the Northern Ohio Trauma System show that falls accounted for 61% of traumas in the region in 2024, while motor vehicle collisions made up 15%.
Cleveland Clinic says they'll continue working with local government, community leaders, accreditation and certification organizations, and various internal departments over the next two years to prepare for and establish the center, with the goal of opening in 2028.
