The Georgia House passed a constitutional amendment by a vote of 149-14, which is designed to permanently fund the state’s trauma care centers via an increase of $10.00 on annual car tag fees.
A two-thirds approval from the Georgia Senate is needed before the Georgia Assembly adjourns for 2010. Once approved, the funding initiative is scheduled to be put on the November ballot as a referendum.
The Super Speeder law that had gone into effect on January 1st, 2010 was helping to fund Georgia's Trauma Network of hospitals.
Right now, the state of Georgia currently has four Level One trauma care centers, and none currently located south of the Macon area.
The Emergency Center at The Medical Center of Central Georgia became the area's only Level 1 Trauma Center in 1998, becoming only the fourth in the state of Georgia to earn the designation.
A level one trauma hospital is required to have a diversified group of specialists in all fields of medicine and equipment that are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Level 1 trauma centers must also meet annual volume requirements for admitting severely injured people. Additionally, the Level 1 center must have a program of research and be a leader in the field of trauma education along with injury prevention.
According to the Georgia Trauma Care Network Commission, “In 2008, Georgia provided $59 million to the Georgia Trauma Care Network Commission to stabilize the state’s trauma system. It worked as intended and substantially strengthened the remaining trauma centers. Several trauma centers were contemplating dropping out of the system, and the stabilization worked. This level of funding needs to be continued for the existing trauma centers, as well as for physicians and EMS. In addition to determining the appropriate distribution of the $59 million, the Commission also developed over the last few months a vision for the Georgia..”
The following were the stated goals of the Trauma Care Network Commission:
1. Obtain Permanent Trauma System Funding
2. Maintain and Expand Georgia’s Trauma Centers, Focusing On South Georgia
3. Strengthen Emergency Medical Services Focusing On Rural Regions
4. Develop Statewide Trauma Transfer System
5. Build Trauma System Infrastructure Under Department of Health
6. Establish Mechanisms To Assure Exceptional Accountability
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