Congressman Towns Introduces Legislation To Stabilize Trauma Centers
On May 1st, 2008, Congressman Edolphus “Ed” Towns (D-NY) introduced legislation aimed at stabilizing the nation’s trauma care system. The bill as it stands will (when passed and signed into legislation) will supply grants to Trauma Centers across the US to help defray the costs associated with treating uninsured trauma patients. The bill is a huge step in assuring continued viability within the nations trauma care systems.
Many trauma centers are stretched to the limit in terms of resources, many of them well into the red due to the need to treat uninsured trauma patients—it is incumbent upon every trauma center to do so, because failure to treat trauma injury from the very start, in fact within that so-called “golden hour” from the time the patient is first injured is usually the difference between life and death. The very nature of trauma injury dictates that there can be no games played with uninsured patients, the trauma center where they land is the trauma center that must treat them. This bill will ensure that trauma centers remain open and keep or increase the level of care they currently have. Trauma centers have been struggling and even closing their doors due to this growing problem, this bill addresses the fact that we simply can’t allow this to happen.
The National Foundation for Trauma Care (NFTC) estimates that trauma centers collectively face $230 million per year in losses for treating victims who are uninsured or whose care is reimbursed well below the cost of providing care. Dr. Ron Anderson, President and CEO of Parkland Health & Hospital System in Dallas and former chairman of NFTC, said, “we must do whatever possible to secure the economic viability of America’s trauma centers. This legislation goes a long way towards helping to stabilize the situation. I am very pleased to see that progress has been made in the fight for trauma care funding. The NFTC applauds the congressional leadership on this vital issue.” Anderson said “our membership is challenged by the current strain under which our nation’s trauma centers now operate and this legislation will provide much needed relief.”
You can read Congressman Ed Towns press release here.
Trauma survivors, this is an urgent call to action. It is imperative that as many survivors and others close to the issue of trauma call or email or fax (all three could not hurt) their congressman and let them know from the perspective that only you can lend how vitally important this bill is to the welfare of our nation. For information on contacting your congressman, follow this link to the lookup page and follow the instructions to find your congressman. The bill in question is H.R.5942
A similar bill was introduced in the Senate by Sen. Patty Murray [D-WA], S. 2319—Please contact BOTH your senators and express your support for this bill as well.
