Marian Regional Medical Center in Santa Maria has officially become a Level III Trauma Center, enabling the hospital to take in seriously injured and emergency patients.

The county of Santa Barbara’s Emergency Medical Services Agency designated Marian as a trauma center on April 26, a month after a team of surveyors conducted an on-site evaluation at the hospital. According to a news release from the hospital, Marian has recruited a team of medical professionals who specialize in emergency services, including expert trauma surgeons, orthopedic surgeons, neurosurgeons, anesthesiologists, emergency physicians and nurses who are skilled in trauma.

Marian, which unveiled a brand-new 191-bed facility a year ago, joins Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital as the second official trauma center in Santa Barbara County. North of Santa Maria, Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center is the only hospital in San Luis Obispo County to hold the designation.

“With the opening of the new, state-of-the-art hospital and expanded modern emergency department, Marian now has the facilities necessary to meet the increased demand required for trauma patients,” Marian President and CEO Charles Cova said in a news release. “To earn trauma center designation, Marian had to demonstrate the high level of care provided to patients by our expert surgeons, facility physicians and highly-skilled health care professionals.”