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Thu Dec 20 16:18:03 GMT 2007

For all you Texans out there...

Justin Milici, RN, MSN, CCRN, CEN, CFRN, TNS
Trauma Education, Prevention/Outreach
Trauma Services - 11 Roberts
Baylor University Medical Center
3500 Gaston Ave.
Dallas, TX 75246
(214) 820-6818
(214) 820-1086 - Fax
(214) 344-3961 - Pager
E-mail: JustinM at baylorhealth.edu

________________________________
From: Carico, Jeffrey [mailto:Jeffrey.Carico at memorialhermann.org]
Sent: Thursday, December 20, 2007 9:44 AM
To: Sally Snow; Milici, Justin J.
Subject: FW: [ttcf] FW: Stewart: Texas trauma system needs a remedy

This may be good to send out to everyone.

Jeff Carico RN
Night Shift Nurse Manager
Memorial Hermann Hospital Southwest
Phone 713-456-6990
Pager 713-704-7243 Pager ID 19016
Jeffrey.Carico at MemorialHermann.org<mailto:Jeffrey.Carico at MemorialHermann.org>
________________________________

Stewart: Texas trauma system needs a remedy
By Dr. Ronald M. Stewart
Dallas Morning News

Though we are all hoping for a safe and happy holiday season, the reality is that from now to the start of the new year, we all face an increased risk of winding up in an emergency room. Drinking and driving, falls, burns, heart attacks and respiratory infections are more common during the holiday season. This is one of the busiest times of the year for the paramedics, nurses and doctors who provide emergency medical and trauma care.

The statewide trauma system is stressed, and you see the symptoms in long emergency room wait times. The Texas population has been growing more than twice as fast as the national average, and the health care system is struggling to keep up with the increasing demand for services.

Unfortunately, the sheer volume of patients is compounded by the large number of Texans without health insurance. With one in four Texans lacking health coverage, emergency rooms can be overwhelmed with patients who have no other place to turn.

Recognizing the strain on the health care safety net, the Legislature took action in 2003 by creating the Driver Responsibility Program. The goal is to encourage drivers to be more cautious through increased fines for speeding and DWI, as well as levies on drivers who repeatedly commit traffic offenses. Since these drivers are the ones most likely to cause crashes, the fines for their bad driving go to the Designated Trauma Facility and EMS Account.

Since 2003, more than $166 million from the account has been distributed to Texas trauma centers. These dollars reimburse rural, urban and suburban hospitals across Texas and help offset a portion of their uncompensated trauma care. However, Texas hospitals still spend about $200 million per year providing trauma care to those who cannot pay, and this figure doesn't include doctor bills or ambulance costs.

Unfortunately, not all of the funds collected through the Driver Responsibility Program have been appropriated by the Legislature. About $95 million collected in the 2006-07 biennium remains unspent in the account. For the current year, fines collected through this program will significantly exceed the amount the Legislature plans to send to trauma hospitals and EMS agencies.

These funds are critical, and they encourage hospitals to stay in the trauma business. In 2003, only 133 counties were served by a designated trauma center; that number has reached 160, a 20 percent increase.

The Legislature created the fund to stabilize and build the trauma system. On behalf of the thousands of paramedics, nurses and doctors who will spend their holidays caring for critically injured Texans, I ask you to encourage legislators to appropriate the entire trauma fund as intended under the law.

I sincerely hope that we all have a safe and happy holiday season, but sadly many of us will find ourselves in need of a trauma center soon. The Texas Driver Responsibility Program is critical to ensuring that a trauma center is available when we need it most.

Stewart is trauma medical director at the University Health System in San Antonio and a member of the Texas Hospital Association Board of Trustees.

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FW: [ttcf] FW: Stewart: Texas trauma system needs a remedy