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Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, the Trauma Systems and Regionalization of Emergency Care Reauthorization Act, H.R. 648, is identical to H.R. 4080 that passed the House last year unanimously. This legislation has also passed both the subcommittee and the full committee. This support extends back to 1990 when the grant was created and authorized.
This reauthorization allows funding for trauma systems development and the regionalization of emergency care. These programs are designed to improve patient outcomes, and they are designed to save lives and cut costs, objectives where I believe there is bipartisan agreement.Trauma systems are organized efforts in a defined geographic area that deliver the full range of care to injured patients. Many members of the subcommittee have trauma systems in their districts or ones nearby that are able to serve their constituents.
Regionalizing emergency care allows States to coordinate their resources and helps first responders act faster, leading to lower costs and better outcomes. A study released last year found that patients living near a recently closed trauma facility were 20 percent more likely to die from their injuries. Two years after closure, the likelihood of death increased to 29 percent, emphasizing the importance of these grants.
This legislation is broadly supported by medicine, sharing the list of supporting organizations that I previously read on H.R. 647. It is bipartisan. I would stress it has gone through regular order. I want to thank Chairman Upton and Chairman Pitts, as well as Ranking Member Pallone and Ranking Member Green, for their help and support on this legislation. I want to thank the Energy and Commerce staff on both sides of the dais: Clay Alspach, Katie Novaria, as well as Hannah Green, and a special thanks to Adrianna Simonelli, who championed both of these bills as my legislative fellow and who is now working on the committee.
Mr. Green and I have worked on these issues literally for years, and I appreciate his continued partnership on this bill. I want to thank his staff, Kristen O'Neill. Finally, I do want to thank J.P. Paluskiewicz, who shepherded this bill through the entire process.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
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