Alabama legislators are looking at a new measure which could reshape the way the state handles trauma care. In an effort to streamline the trauma system, a new bill has been filed which would create a 24-hour trauma dispatch center serving the entire state. The bill would also create a trauma registry which would gather information on critical injuries. The center, which would be managed by the state's Health Department, would monitor the status of the state's hospitals and keep paramedics informed. Hospitals would feed the center electronic updates on how many ED beds, surgeons and operating rooms were available. Under this new system, paramedics would know in advance whether a given hospital has the capacity to deal with a critically-ill patient--and could be routed to another facility if need be. The state, which has only three regional trauma centers, will spend $1.3 million to set up the initial framework for the system.
To learn more about the proposal:
- read this article from The Huntsville Times