Fast Facts

Life-Saving Care

• Saving lives requires speed, efficiency, quick transport, and a medical team that is available 24-hours-a-day, seven days-a-week.
• When in a trauma situation, every second counts. The goal is to get the patient to the best facility within one hour of the injury. Treatment during this time substantially increases the chance of survival.
• Trauma centers give the highest level of care regardless of ability to pay. They often treat and save the lives of patients without insurance or health coverage (65 percent are Medicaid or uninsured patients).
• Trauma is a surgical specialty that is vastly different from routine emergency care.
• More than 29,000 Floridians and tourists were treated at trauma centers in 2002.
• There are currently seven Level I, 12 Level II and two Pediatric trauma centers in Florida. Twelve of Florida's 19 Level I or Level II trauma centers are also pediatric trauma centers.
• The average length of stay in a trauma center is 5.71 days.
• Trauma patients typically arrive suddenly, emergently, and at all hours of the day and night.

Trauma Patients

• The "Golden Hour" is the time from the point of injury to the receiving of definitive care. It is statistically proven that getting care within the first hour of injury drastically increases chance of survival.
• Trauma centers have teams ready to treat critically injured patients as they arrive-every minute matters, especially within the first "Golden Hour."
• Mortality rates increase by 15-20% when a seriously injured patient is treated at a non-trauma center.
• Patients span all demographic categories and pre-injury health status. No one is immune to traumatic injuries.
• According to the National Vital Statistics Report (2001), unintentional injuries are the fifth leading cause of death in the United States-after heart disease, cancer, stroke, and lung disease.
• Every four seconds someone is injured and every six minutes someone will die from a trauma injury.
• Motor vehicle crashes comprise more than 50% of trauma incidents in Florida.

The Crisis Facing Trauma Care

• In 2004, it could cost over $126 million to run the state's 21 trauma centers.
• The number of trauma patients continues to increase due to a growing population and visiting tourists.
• Currently, no ongoing funding exists for this lifesaving care.
• Nearly 30 trauma centers have permanently closed in Florida since 1982.
• The current trauma system network has significant gaps in North Florida and North Central Florida-particularly in Leon, Bay, and their surrounding counties. Injury victims in these underserved areas must be transferred to trauma centers located up to several hours away, diminishing their chance of survival.
• Implementing a legislative-mandated funding stream is the solution for ensuring Florida's high level of trauma care as well as expanding throughout the state.