Combat Veteran Tammy Duckworth's New Bill Would Improve Trauma Care, Help Prevent Death And Disability

Press Release

Operation Iraqi Freedom combat Veteran, blast trauma survivor and Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth (IL-08) today proposed legislation aimed at eliminating death and disability caused by traumatic injuries by improving our national civilian trauma care systems in concert with the expertise of our military healthcare system, which has proven exceedingly skilled at effectively treating severe injuries sustained in combat. Duckworth's National Trauma Care System Act would help establish an integrated civilian-military national trauma system to ensure both civilian and military trauma providers can take advantage of techniques and equipment that have been honed on the battlefield and in our nation's hospitals.

"I learned a lot about the trauma care and treatment available in the military system while recovering at Walter Reed," said Congresswoman Duckworth. "But not every American has access to the same resources, techniques and expertise in the civilian trauma care system. This bill will help streamline these two systems, bringing them together to improve care and reduce deaths and disability for victims of trauma. All Americans deserve access to the best care possible--regardless of how or where they were injured."

Trauma is currently the third leading cause of death in the United States--first among those 45 and under. In 2013, trauma's economic burden was over $671 billion, making it one of the most expensive health care problems in the country, and there may be different standards and options for care depending on where you live. By integrating the military and civilian trauma systems' respective advantages, we can ensure all trauma providers are able to maintain their skills and share the latest techniques when serving our communities. Given the costs, in dollars and lives, associated with trauma, improving our disjointed trauma system is wise from a both financial and public health perspective.

Patrick Downes, a survivor of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing who lost his leg below the knee and has firsthand experience in the civilian trauma treatment system, remarked about the legislation: "When Jess and I met Tammy Duckworth years ago, we knew right away that she understood just how complex our nation's trauma care system is and how important it is for clinicians to improve care. She understands the challenges faced by people living with these injuries and the complexity of their care. My own personal experience in both civilian and military medicine helped me understand the importance of collaboration between these two stakeholders in our country's trauma care system. Seeing our nation respond to our experience, and the experiences of so many other trauma survivors, is touching and we appreciate the Congresswoman's tireless advocacy for us."

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine recently released a report outlining an epidemic of preventable trauma deaths and concluding that a collaborative military-civilian approach was best to address the problem. Duckworth's National Trauma Care System Act builds on the report puts many of their recommendations into action. Specifically, this legislation:

Establishes a task force to implement policies that work toward achieving the goal of zero preventable deaths or injuries due to trauma,
Promotes standardization of trauma care in pre-hospital and hospital settings for the military and civilian health systems,
Fosters greater collaboration between civilian and military health systems to share best practices and treatment data,
Prepares the nation's trauma providers to better handle mass casualty incidents, and
Coordinates trauma research efforts to ensure the greatest return on investment.

"With the introduction of this legislation, Congresswoman Duckworth is taking an important first step toward the realization of a national trauma care system that, to the greatest extent possible, reduces death and disability related to traumatic injury," said Drs. William G. Cioffi and Gregory J. Jurkovich, Co-Chairs of the Coalition for National Trauma Research (CNTR), which has endorsed the legislation. "Representing many different stakeholder groups--including trauma surgeons and investigators in both civilian and military settings, who seek the best possible outcomes for their patients--CNTR fully supports H.R. 6132."

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