WASHINGTON – There are five trauma centers in the Hudson Valley and while federal funding to support them dried up years ago, US Senator Charles Schumer will try to have that reinstated.
The senator said on Wednesday there is a need for additional resources as those facilities’ services are more and more in demand.
“We have to keep these trauma centers up and running and operating with adequate resources even though they are expensive to maintain,” Schumer said. “The federal government used to provide support to trauma centers across the country in the form of grants, but those grants haven’t been funded for over a decade as the number of trauma center deaths goes up and up.”
The senator said in Congress, lawmakers are approaching the period where appropriation bills will be debated.
“Now is the time to try to reinstate the grants and start send federal support to trauma centers that need additional resources.”
Schumer said the legislation would reauthorize $24 million to be shared between two initiatives – one to provide support to the development of state and rural trauma centers, and the other, the provide funds for the design, implementation, and evaluation of innovative models for regionalized emergency care.
