WASHINGTON, DC - In an effort to improve the nation's emergency medical care system, the U.S. Senate today passed Senator Jack Reed's (D-RI) bill to upgrade the nation's trauma centers by providing grants to states for the planning, implementation, and development of trauma care systems. The Trauma Care Systems Planning and Development Act of 2007 authorizes $12 million this year and doubles funding levels through 2012 to help more local communities establish statewide and regional trauma systems. The bill will also help improve collection and analysis of trauma data by creating a Clearinghouse on Trauma Care and Emergency Medical Services. Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed similar legislation (H.R. 727) authored by Representative Gene Green (D-TX). "I am pleased to have worked with Congressman Greene on this important issue. This bill will help more cities like Providence devise a strategy to ensure that severely injured patients receive the best possible care," said Reed, a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee. "Our paramedics and first responders must know where to find the nearest trauma center that is best prepared to handle such an emergency. Patients' safety should always come first and we need a critical care network that can get trauma care patients to the right doctor at the right time." Survival among severely injured patients requires specialist care delivered promptly and in a coordinated manner. Trauma care begins at the scene of injury, continues through the emergency department, and on into the hospital operating room and intensive care unit. In 2004, nearly 30 million people were treated for an injury in U.S. hospital emergency departments, of which nearly 2 million injuries were serious enough to require hospitalization. "Our knowledgeable and experienced trauma care providers do their best to ensure that victims receive the best care possible, but often their work is not enough. It is essential that we ensure that they also have the tools necessary to plan, prepare, and coordinate to provide smooth transition of care and proper interventions," noted Reed. "This legislation will help states develop and implement quality trauma care systems to assist victims and prepare for emergency disaster situations." While great strides have been made in the field of trauma care, only about half the states have developed trauma care systems and it is estimated that about 20,000 to 25,000 deaths from unintentional injury could be preventable each year. Senator Reed's legislation (S. 657) authorizes an Institute of Medicine study on the state of trauma care and trauma research. "Tragic events such as the horrific fire at the Station Nightclub are a solemn reminder of just how important these emergency services can be," said Reed. "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." Now that it has been approved by both the Senate and the House of Representatives, the bill goes to the President's desk to be signed into law.