Kansas University Hospital announced Monday that its trauma program has retained its Level 1 status, the highest level a trauma program can achieve.

KU is the first in northeast Kansas and currently the only greater Kansas City hospital to achieve the rating given by the American College of Surgeons.

The hospital’s program was first verified at Level 1 in 2000.

The ACS Level 1 rating has been awarded to only 126 trauma programs in the country, and differs from the status designated by some individual states.

It can take from one to two years and multiple on-site reviews by a team of ACS inspectors to achieve this status. Only after meeting hundreds of demanding criteria is a trauma program awarded this distinction.

KU treats about 1,325 trauma patients each year.