Georgia EMS Chief: Double State's Trauma Care

ATLANTA -- Georgia needs to double the number of medical centers able to handle the most severe and life-threatening injuries, a state official said Monday.

The medical director of the Georgia Emergency Medical Services said the state needs about 30 trauma centers, up from the 15 it has now.

Pat O'Neal, whose GEMS agency is part of the Department of Human Resources, also said it could take as much as $80 million to steady Georgia's network of financially struggling trauma centers, ambulances and the like and to promote the growth of a system that has "tremendous issues."

"Funding may not fix all of those, but it's a start," he said.

Beyond money, he advocated wider coverage of Enhanced-911 technology that could locate the origin of calls from cell phones, and for the creation of a state clearinghouse for routing patients to the best available trauma center based on proximity and medical specialties.

His remarks came to a special legislative committee set up to look into the state's lack of trauma centers, the advanced emergency rooms that treat wounds ranging from gunshots to traffic accidents.

The committee is charged with looking for ways to increase the state's woeful lack of trauma centers and the transportation and medical expertise needed to run them. The panel is also looking for ways to help fund the network's expansion.

The study committee was created under legislation passed by the General Assembly last year sponsored by Sen. Eric Johnson, R-Savannah. He named it in memory of 19-year-old Jennifer Ross, who was shot in downtown Savannah last Christmas Eve and died on New Year's Day.

The daughter of a hospital executive, Ross lived long enough for her family to say their goodbyes because the city has better trauma services than most parts of the state.

Currently, Georgia has four of the most sophisticated trauma centers, and all are in the state's major metropolitan areas -- Augusta, Savannah, Atlanta and Macon. Several areas of Georgia lie beyond the quick access to these major centers.

"It's a scary thing," said Rep. Larry O'Neal, the brother of Pat O'Neal and a co-chairman of the committee.

Lawmakers also pointed out that, as the state's population has soared in recent years, the number of trauma centers has actually shrunk.

"I think it's going to be fairly easy to make the case that we need to do something," said Rep. Mickey Channell, R-Greensboro.

The day was marked with personal stories.

Sen. Renee Unterman, R-Buford, recalled how a boy in her district who had his leg nearly severed in a personal watercraft accident was taken to a hospital in Gainesville, where he was stabilized. The boy was then taken to a hospital in Macon because the trauma center in nearby Atlanta was unable to handle any more cases.

"It dawned on me then that something is severely wrong with our system," said Unterman, who is a nurse.

One challenge, lawmakers said, was crafting a system that would work while still keeping costs at a reasonable level and finding a way to bankroll the project.

Maryland devotes funding from motor-vehicle registrations to finance its trauma system, said Sen. Cecil Staton, a Macon Republican who is the panel's other co-chair. California takes money from traffic fines.

Pat O'Neal said the state should find a way to punish bad behavior such as speeding or drunken driving. That would provide funding for the program, and also create an incentive for people to stop doing things that could result in a visit to a trauma center.

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