Bipartisan legislation reintroduced by U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX) would help the Department of Defense assign trauma surgeons to civilian trauma centers that are currently facing gaps in care.
The MISSION Zero Act, H.R. 880, would establish grant programs to enable civilian trauma centers to permanently integrate full military trauma teams or individual military trauma providers into facilities and networks.
“Our military has made incredible strides in delivering trauma care, saving countless lives that would have otherwise been lost,” Burgess said. “This expertise should be brought home to strengthen our civilian trauma centers and systems, so that efforts to save American lives are not dependent on where one is injured and what care is readily available.”
Burgess added, “I am proud to be part of this important legislation to strengthen our nation’s trauma care and save more lives on and off the battlefield.”
Trauma care is currently a patchwork of regional systems and incomplete data registries “in which mortality varies two-fold between the best and worst trauma centers in the nation,” according to a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report.
The report estimated that optimized trauma care through joint military-civilian partnerships could have helped prevent nearly 30,000 deaths from trauma in the United States in 2014 alone.
Jennifer Ward, the president of the Trauma Center Association of America, said the organization supported the MISSION Zero Act, and she applauded Burgess for his leadership on the issue.
“Allowing trauma centers around the country to partner with military surgeons will not only help our servicemen and women maintain military readiness, but will also strengthen our trauma care systems and ensure that top-notch trauma care is available to every person who needs it,” Ward said.
U.S. Reps. Gene Green (D-TX), Richard Hudson (R-NC) and Kathy Castor (D-FL) joined Burgess in introducing the MISSION Zero Act.