H.R. 648, the Trauma Systems and Regionalization of Emergency Care Reauthorization Act and H.R. 647, the Access to Life-Saving Trauma Care for All Americans Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I am encouraged that today the House will consider two important public health bills that deal with traumatic injury. These two bills would reauthorize a number of important trauma programs to help equip states to deliver these critical medical services.

Traumatic injury is the leading cause of death for children and adults under the age of 45. After an accident, the care received in the first hour presents the highest likelihood that the patient will survive rapid intervention after a traumatic injury. Without that immediate care, their survival rates decrease by 25 percent. Trauma systems not only provide rapid intervention at the time of injury but also include supporting equipment and personnel, and a continuum of care, including pre-hospital, hospital, and rehabilitation services

The first bill, H.R. 648, the Trauma Systems and Regionalization of Emergency Care Reauthorization Act, which passed the House last year, allows for planning and implementing trauma care systems in the States. The bill would also establish pilot projects for innovative models of regionalized trauma care.

The second bill, H.R. 647, the Access to Life-Saving Trauma Care for All Americans Act, reauthorizes two additional trauma programs that will increase the availability of trauma services. Trauma centers should be available for all victims of traumatic injury. Unfortunately, many trauma centers are at serious risk of closure and financial insolvency. In fact, nearly thirty trauma centers have closed in the past fifteen years.

The programs included in this bill will provide critically needed federal funding to help cover uncompensated costs in trauma centers, support core mission trauma services, provide emergency finding to trauma centers, and address trauma center physician shortages in order to ensure the future availability of trauma care for all our citizens.
Mr. Speaker, none of these programs have received funding during the appropriations process in recent years. I hope that our consideration of these measures signals the importance of these programs to Members of Congress. I would like to thank Mr. GREEN and Mr. BURGESS, who are both leaders on trauma care, for their work on these bills.

I urge Members to support H.R. 647 and H.R. 648.

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