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Legislative
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Trauma System Agenda for Change
What is it?
The Trauma System Agenda for
Change is a vision document for Trauma Systems that was written by representatives from
multiple organizations including the Society of Trauma Nurses. The goal was to outline the challenges facing
trauma systems, define the fundamental components and express the vision for all of these
components as well as trauma systems as a whole.
Who is involved?
All trauma disciplines have
been involved in writing this document. The
meetings, which were facilitated by the American Trauma Society and the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration, included representatives from the American College of
Surgeons, American College of Emergency Physicians, National Association of EMS Directors
and the Society of Trauma Nurses, to name just a few.
What can I do?
Go to http://208.58.30.127/TRAUMA%20system/TRAUMA%20SYSTEM.htm and view the final draft of the Trauma Vision
Document. Send comments to the Society for
Trauma Nurses’ representative on the committee, Kathleen Martin martintrauma@comcast.net .
Current
National Trauma Legislation
Trauma Care Systems Planning and
Development Act Reauthorization (Title XII of the Public Health Service Act)
What is it?
Title
XII was established by the Trauma Care Systems Planning and Development Act in 1990 and
provides federal seed money to assist states in planning and developing statewide trauma
care systems.
What is the current
issue?
This program has been funded at $3 million and $3.5
million for fiscal years 2001 and 2002 respectively. Despite this investment one-half of
the states in the United States are still without a statewide trauma care system.
Currently, support is being generated to increase the federal funding of this Act
specifically the Trauma Systems provisions and to reduce the state matching requirements
for FY 2003.
What can I do?
Go to http://capwiz.com/facs/issues/alert/?alertid=105745&type=CO
and use the user friendly Capwiz system to urge Congress to support increased funding for
Trauma Care System Planning and Development.
Nurses for a Healthier Tomorrow
This is a coalition of 37
nursing and health care organizations, including the Society of Trauma Nurses, working
together to wage a communication campaign to attract people to the nursing profession. Go to http://www.nursesource.org
for more information on this important endeavor.
I Promise
The I Promise Program is a safe driving initiative
developed for families with new young drivers. It consists of a
parent-youth mutual safe-driving contract, a rear-window decal, and a 1-year community
monitoring service. Go to http://www.ipromiseprogram.com
for more information.
Coalition Against Big Trucks
This coalition of public citizen organizations,
state and local law enforcement agencies, highway safety, environmental and business
groups has embarked on a grass roots campaign to fight the efforts of bigger truck
proponents to increase truck lengths and weights. Go
to http://www.cabt.org for more information.
American Association for the Surgery of Trauma Coalition
for American Trauma Care Washington
Reports: http://www.aast.org/CATC/coalition.html
American College
of Surgeons Legislative Action Center: http://capwiz.com/facs/home/
American Trauma
Society: www.amtrauma.org
National League
for Nursing: http://www.nln.org/
Contact information
For comments and
questions contact the Legislative Committee Chair, Marla L.Vanore at vanore@email.chop.edu
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