WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS) said that late last night, the Senate approved his legislation to help develop and strengthen statewide trauma care systems. Passed earlier by the House, the bill now goes to the President to be signed into law.

"Traumatic injury such as from a car or farm accident is the leading cause of death for people aged 1 to 44 years," Roberts said ."Trauma care is especially critical in rural areas where the death rate from unintentional injury is more than 50 percent higher than in urban areas. Saving the life of any trauma victim requires constant attention to maintaining and coordinating organized systems of trauma care in every community in every state."

The bill reauthorizes the Trauma Care Systems Planning and Development Act and provides for additional resources for states to improve and strengthen their trauma care systems.

Since 1990, the Trauma Care Systems Planning and Development Act, which created Title XII of the Public Health Service Act, has provided $31.4 million to help states and territories develop and implement statewide trauma care systems.

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 saving function.

The legislation provides for increased funding for states to develop and improve their trauma systems, including targeted money to rural areas. It also improves the collection and analysis of trauma patient data to improve overall care for patients and provides for a self-evaluation mechanism to assist states in assessing and improving their trauma care systems. Finally, the bill creates a separate competitive grant program for states that have already begun the process of establishing a trauma care system using national standards and protocols.

Senators Roberts and Jack Reed (D-RI) introduced the legislation in February. Senator Roberts is a senior member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee and the Senate Rural Health Care Caucus.