HUNTSVILLE – Thirty years ago, Huntsville Hospital launched a new kind of lifesaving mission, one that would come to define emergency care across North Alabama. What began in 1995 with a single trauma surgeon, Dr. Rony Najjar, has grown into a fully staffed Level I Trauma Center serving 11 counties and treating more than 50,000 patients since its inception.
Najjar, who founded the trauma program after completing advanced trauma training in Miami, called the anniversary “a blessing and a milestone” for a team that has evolved alongside technology and medicine.
“Trauma touches every part of the hospital,” Najjar said. “It’s not one or two people; it’s a humongous team. The key driver from day one has been patient care. What’s best for the patient is what drives every decision.”
Now supported by 150 trauma professionals available each day, the Huntsville Hospital Trauma Program treats an average of five critical patients daily while maintaining the highest readiness level for severe, life-threatening injuries. Over three decades, the program has expanded in both capability and scope and earned a reputation for excellence that Najjar compared to military precision…