Program History

As military medicine shifted its focus from large-scale war readiness to rotational conflict preparedness, trauma training in high-volume civilian centers became essential. In this context, the Cook County’s Trauma Unit—with its consistent exposure to penetrating injuries—emerged as an ideal partner. The formal partnership began in 2013, when active-duty Navy surgeons from the Lovell Federal Health Care Center began rotating in the trauma unit. This led to the launch of the Hospital Corpsman Trauma Training (HMTT) program, designed to prepare Navy corpsmen for frontline care by embedding them in a high-acuity trauma environment.

By 2017, Cook County had hosted the nation’s first HMTT graduating class, establishing itself as one of the national training hubs for Navy Medicine. This marked a shift from ad-hoc clinical experience to a structured trauma readiness pipeline, officially recognized by the Department of Defense.

In 2022, the U.S. Navy and Cook County Health expanded the partnership, embedding Expeditionary Resuscitative Surgical System (ERSS) teams into Stroger Hospital for multi-year rotations. This model trains entire surgical teams together, fostering unit cohesion and mission-ready capabilities. In 2023, the partnership became the first US Navy military-civilian partnership to directly deploy austere surgical teams as a unit (ERSS 1 and 2).

The trauma unit at Cook County handles over 5,000 trauma activations annually, with a high proportion of penetrating trauma (25–30%), making it a prime environment for realistic and frequent trauma care exposure. This intensity and diversity simulate conditions closer to battlefield medicine than most civilian hospitals. This partnership addresses a critical gap known as the “peacetime effect”—the challenge of maintaining surgical trauma readiness between deployments. By providing continuous, high-volume training in a civilian setting, Cook County helps the military preserve operational medical capability without the need for ongoing conflict.

The Military-Civilian Partnership at Cook County Trauma stands as a nationally recognized model for readiness-based trauma training. Through embedded team training, real-world exposure, and joint educational initiatives, the program ensures that military medical personnel remain deployment-ready while advancing the mission of public trauma care. As military and civilian healthcare systems continue to face evolving challenges, this partnership demonstrates the power of collaboration, innovation, and shared service to community and country alike.