Trauma Commission Continues Work

The state’s trauma commission is still looking for ways to fund and improve Georgia’s trauma system. The group convened for another meeting Thursday.

Continuing to top the commission’s monthly agenda--trying to sustain a trauma system in dire need to support. The $23-million provided by the Legislature is less than half the amount given last year. It will be funded through fines collected from the new ‘super speeder’ law, going into effect July 1st.

But now, the early seeds of actually trying to build a network are being planted. A sliver of money is in-place for the early foundation of transfer centers. Commission member and vice president of trauma and emergency services for Children’s HealthCare of Atlanta, Linda Cole, says the centers would help reduce the system’s so-called ‘sea of chaos’:

"We do have excellent trauma care centers...we’ve got some very good EMS, but there’s very little infrastructure to bring them together. The transfer center is the first piece of bringing all those islands of excellence into a system."

Cole says the Commission is working with Georgia emergency management officials to use a newly-acquired $2-million federal grant to help fund these transfer centers.

'Super Speeder' Fines To Help Fund Trauma Care

Legislation signed into law today by Governor Sonny Perdue will slap excessive speeders on Georgia’s roads and highways with hefty fines. Money collected is aimed at injecting the state’s ailing trauma system with badly-needed funds.

Starting July 1st, drivers who go 20 miles an hour over the speed limit on Georgia roads will be hit with an extra $200 fine. The Governor’s office says a quarter of the more than 1,600 people who die every year from traffic accidents in the state, are caused by excessive speeds.

“We hope it will slow down people, where we don't have to issue tickets for speeding excessively.”

Governor Perdue wants to spend money collected from the fines on trauma care. It’s estimated the state’s fastest drivers could bring-in $23-million.

But that’s less than half the money the appointed state trauma commission had to work with last year. Ben Hinson is president of Mid-Georgia Ambulance in Macon, and a commission member:

“This is not enough...I don't know if could ever get enough to do everything we want. And if the trauma commission ever says that's enough, you've probably got the wrong members on the commission. We want it to get better every day."

Getting better includes getting emergency trauma service to pockets of the state severely neglected, especially in areas of rural north and south Georgia.

The Governor says he will again look to present a permanent funding model for a statewide trauma network in next year’s budget. Trauma officials estimate $80-million is needed to properly fund a statewide network--at least.

Lawmakers Blow Out Candles on Birthday Tax

Lawmakers in the state House Thursday voted to eliminate two taxes, including the so-called Birthday Tax, when buying a car.

The annual ad valorem tax, along with the state sales tax, would be replaced with a 7 percent fee whenever a car's title changes hands. The fee would be capped at $2,000.

Republican Tom Rice from Norcross says under the proposal, people will save money when buying at the dealership.

"Anybody that buys a car off the lot, is gonna gain dollars back as soon as they drive it off the lot."

Supporters say the measure would help bring in more money to the trauma-care network across the cash-strapped state. They also say it makes buying from a dealer fair, because no sales tax is collected when buyers purchase from an individual.

But that has House Minority Leader Dubose Porter from Dublin concerned. He says the fee could burden those who are already hurting.

"We're creating a brand new tax that's gonna generate a heck of a lotta new money off of working folks in this state."

If the bill does become law, the tax won't go away for current car owners until they buy another one.

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Hopes to Persuade Lawmakers to Bolster Georgia's Trauma Care

A coastal state legislator is hoping the sugar refinery explosion that rocked Savannah last year prompts legislators to bolster Georgia's struggling trauma network.
State Rep. Ron Stephens, R-Savannah, took the House floor Monday to show legislators a video of the medical response to the explosion that killed 14 people and injured dozens more.
He also welcomed 20-year-old Lawrence Manker Jr., who was working in the refinery when it burst into flames.
Manker was in a wheelchair and wrapped in bandages.
Stephens hopes Manker's story will help persuade lawmakers to devote more funding to trauma care.

(AP)

Trauma commission divides funding

The distribution of supplemental funding for the state’s trauma care system was finalized today. Still, a bigger challenge remains for Georgia.

The Trauma Care Network Commission has approved a plan to divide 58-million dollars of funding across the state. The biggest slice goes to financially-strapped Grady Hospital in Atlanta. However, the 12.7 million dollars is about half of what the Level-1 trauma facility had hoped for.

Commission members had the challenge of dividing money across many different trauma centers in the state and other areas of need.

Dennis Ashley is chair of the Commission and trauma chief for Macon’s Level-1 trauma center:

"We’ve certainly shown the need, and the silos where the money need to go as far as the uncompensated care, readiness costs, EMS...these are big silos that need to be treated, or taken care of. So we need to go forward".

Atlanta’s Grady received the lion's share of funding. Second-most is 5.6 million dollars to go to Savannah’s Memorial Health, with Augusta’s Medical College of Georgia to expect around 5-million.

Still in need is a permanent funding structure for trauma care in Georgia.

Grady Hospital takes official step to go non-profit

The transfer of Atlanta’s Grady Memorial Hospital from its old politically-appointed board to a new non-profit model was made official Monday with the signing of a lease and transfer agreement. The lease agreement is targeted to begin on May 1st. The meeting of the Grady board yesterday also brought a commitment of 200-million dollars from the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation. The money will help pay for needed infrastructure costs for the financially-troubled Level-1 trauma hospital.

Lesiglative Session.... Day 38

The state House passed a measure that would support the Senate's idea to cut state income taxes by ten percent. But, there is a catch; it would go into effect in three years, and only if Georgians pass a constitutional amendment to cut car tag taxes - a measure preferred by the house.

House speaker Glen Richardson said, at this point, its time for the Senate to make a decision.

"Its fairly clear that the Lieutenant Governor and the Senate does not want to give Georgians tax relief because the have played every game they can," said Richardson.

Senate leaders said they think they can come up with a compromise in these last few days of the session to deliver some sort of tax relief to Georgians.

But, for Georgians living in areas with little or no trauma care, the demands placed on the Senate by the house could prevent them from getting relief any time soon. With only two days left in the session, if the Senate votes "NO" to the car tag tax cut, it could get bogged down in committee leaving Georgians in the south and west portion of the state with below average trauma care.

Legislative Day 37.... from the Senate

The Senate voted to take a ten dollar Trauma Care fee to the polls. If passed by Georgia voters it would bring in in 74 million dollars for Trauma Care throughout the state, something needed in South and West Georgia were little is available.

Senator Cecil Staton (R.), has been pushing for a way to fund trauma care. Staton said the issue needs to be solved now.

"It is unacceptable that 700 Georgians die needlessly - if we would just reach the national average- but even that's not good enough," said Staton.

Senate leaders said 75 percent of trauma care cases come from car accidents and the license plate fee was the most practical place to begin raising funds.

And, while both chambers agree with the ten dollar fee, they disagree on the rest of the taxes attached to cars; the Senate wants to keep them and leaders in the House said they need to go.

They only have three days left in the session to iron out their differences.

State Senate approves red light camera measure

The state Senate approved a bill Thursday that makes it tougher for local governments to use red light cameras as a revenue generator.

For the second time in as many weeks, debate over the measure banning red light cameras was fiercely contested. This time some lawmakers sought to attach an amendment that allocates a portion of the fines toward trauma care. However, some feared the entire bill faced certain death if tied to trauma care funding.

Senate President Pro Tem Eric Johnson had backed a proposal to fund trauma care with an additional car tag fee. He urged his colleagues to support the bill but reject the trauma care amendment.

"If you wanna do something for trauma, let's do it the right way and not the wrong way. If you vote for this, and people think they've fixed the trauma problem, they haven't and it'll make it harder to pass the 10-dollar fee for trauma care".

The trauma care amendment failed but the bill did pass the Senate 45-13. It requires local municipalities apply to the Department of Transportation for permission to install any new red light cameras. It also mandates the cameras be necessary for public safety and not to raise money.

--from Valarie Edwards at the Capitol

Grady supporters bring petitions to keep Grady public

A group of Grady Hospital supporters brought petitions to the Capitol today asking that the Atlanta hospital remain public. Meanwhile state leaders vowed to help the financially strapped hospital while also funding a state-wide trauma care system.

Grady Hospital is trying to stay open for business. There is fear that if it changes management, it will no longer serve Atlanta's poor. House Speaker Glenn Richardson told business leaders in Atlanta that he is willing to support state funding, but with conditions.

"Grady's got to help themselves first. When Grady helps itself, I'm willing to jump it. But we have to do something about trauma care statewide. We gotta get on the same page."

Governor Perdue is expected to outline help for Grady in his "State of the State" address. One idea is to charge speeders more money to fund hospitals. For GPB News, I'm Susanna Capelouto at the State Capitol.

Increased Medicaid payments could give hospitals much-needed boost

The state agency in charge of Medicaid wants to take advantage of an enrollment slowdown to increase payments to doctors and hospitals.

Years of low reimbursements have left many providers of health care to Medicaid and PeachCare patients in the red.

Trauma care hospitals have suffered the most. Atlanta's Grady hospital has partially attributed its financial crisis to this situation.

In recognition, the Department of Community Health plans to reimburse them at a higher rate than other hospitals.

Increased Medicaid payments could give hospitals much-needed boost

The state agency in charge of Medicaid wants to take advantage of an enrollment slowdown to increase payments to doctors and hospitals.

Years of low reimbursements have left many providers of health care to Medicaid and PeachCare patients in the red. Trauma care hospitals have suffered the most. Atlanta’s Grady hospital has partially attributed its financial crisis to this situation.

In recognition, the Department of Community Health plans to reimburse them at a higher rate than other hospitals.

Grady Hospital on verge of collapse

A report to be released today will say that Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta will have to close, unless its' way of doing business is fixed, and new funding is found.

Grady is one of the few level-one trauma care centers in the state. A 17-member task force drew up the report. The group found that the financial situation of the facility is worse than originally thought. The report states that without a short-term fix, Grady will not be able to meet its' payroll by year's end. It warns that a closing of Grady would cause a flood of poor patients to other metro Atlanta hospitals.

Solutions offered include forming a private, non-profit corporation to run the hospital.

Georgia House passes trauma care bill

Today the Georgia House passed legislation to help the state’s broke trauma care system. Today’s bill would create a trust fund for trauma care centers, and appoint a nine-member Georgia Care Trauma Network Commission to help coordinate, raise and distribute funds. But critics say the bill sets up the fund without putting money in it. People are 20% more likely of dying from a traumatic injury in Georgia than the national average.