WASHINGTON, DC – In an effort to provide life-saving care to those in need, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) has introduced a pair of bipartisan initiatives aimed at improving the quality and capacity of the nation’s trauma care systems.  Reed is seeking to support the nation's trauma centers by providing federal grants to states for the planning, implementation, and development of trauma care systems and expanding the federal definition of trauma to include burn injuries, a long-overdue modification.

“Trauma centers can literally mean the difference between life and death for severely injured patients.  These bipartisan initiatives will help ensure more people have access to the best possible care in their hour of need.  It is essential that our trauma care providers have access to the best available resources so that they are able to serve our communities and save lives,” said Reed, who wrote the Trauma Care Systems Planning and Development Act of 2007, which was signed into law by President George W. Bush (Public Law 110-23). 

Trauma is a broad definition used to describe severe injuries caused by an external force due to accidents or violence and is the leading cause of death in the United States for individuals aged 44 and younger.  According to the National Trauma Institute, trauma accounts for 41 million emergency room visits and 2.3 million hospital admissions across the country each year.  The nation’s trauma and emergency medical systems are designed to respond quickly and efficiently to get seriously injured individuals to the appropriate trauma center hospital within the “golden hour,” the time period when medical intervention is most effective in saving lives and preserving function.  Achieving this standard of access requires maintenance and careful coordination between organized systems of trauma care.

The Trauma Systems and Regionalization of Emergency Care Reauthorization Act (S. 2405), would reauthorize two important grant programs: Trauma Care Systems Planning Grants, which support state and rural development of trauma systems, and Regionalization of Emergency Care Systems Pilot Projects, which provide funds to design, implement, and evaluate innovative models of regionalized emergency care.  The bipartisan bill, cosponsored by Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Johnny Isakson (R-GA) and Mark Kirk (R-IL), would also direct states to update their model trauma care plan with the input of relevant stakeholders.  Set to expire this year, these critical programs support emergency care in communities across the country.

The Trauma Care Systems Planning Grants program was last reauthorized for $24 million per year for fiscal years 2010-2014.  The Regionalization of Emergency Care Systems Pilot Projects program was created in 2010, and funded out of the Trauma Care Systems Planning Grants program budget for $12 million.  Reed’s reauthorizing legislation provides level funding for both programs, $24 million to be shared equally between the two initiatives.

U.S. Representative Gene Green (D-TX) has introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives to reauthorize these trauma care programs. 

In addition to his legislation to maintain funding for these critical care systems, Reed is also working to modernize the federal definition of trauma.  Current law defines trauma in a way that excludes burn injuries, a definition that is outdated and prevents burn centers from being able to apply for funding made available under trauma and emergency care programs.  In response, Reed has introduced the Improving Trauma Care Act of 2014 (S. 2406) to modify and update the federal definition of trauma to include burns, a change that more appropriately reflects the relationship between burns and other traumatic injuries.  U.S. Representative Bill Johnson (R-OH) has introduced similar legislation in the House of Representatives.

“This legislation will help states strengthen and improve their capacity to offer trauma and emergency care for their most critical patients,” said Reed.  “Trauma care systems save lives and improve patient outcomes, but in too many communities the necessary care is just out of reach.  It is essential that our first responders and medical professionals have the tools they need to plan and coordinate a strategy to ensure that severely injured patients receive the best possible care, especially when the clock is ticking.  Trauma care is not only critical to providing timely access to lifesaving interventions, it is the cornerstone of our health care system – central to both our national security and disaster preparedness.”

Reed’s bipartisan proposals have strong support from medical experts and care providers including: the American College of Emergency Physicians, the American Trauma Society, the American College of Surgeons, and officials from Rhode Island Hospital, the lone Level I adult Trauma Center in southeastern New England.

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