06 LC 28
2833
Senate
Bill 565
By:
Senators Staton of the 18th, Unterman of the 45th, Schaefer of the 50th, Chance
of the 16th, Goggans of the 7th and others
AS
PASSED SENATE
A
BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
AN ACT
To
amend Chapter 11 of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating
to emergency medical services, so as to establish the Georgia Trauma Care
Network Commission; to provide for its composition, membership, duties, and
responsibilities; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws;
and for other purposes.
BE
IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION
1.
Chapter
11 of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to emergency
medical services, is amended by adding a new Article 5 to read as
follows:
"ARTICLE
5
31-11-101.
(a)
There is created the Georgia Trauma Care Network Commission which is assigned to
the Department of Human Resources for administrative purposes only, as
prescribed in Code Section 50-4-3. The commission shall consist of seven
members who shall be appointed by the Governor. The Governor shall include
among the appointees a representative of a hospital that has a Level I trauma
center, a representative of a hospital that has a pediatric trauma center, a
representative of a hospital that has a Level I burn trauma center, a
representative of a hospital that has a Level II or Level III trauma center, and
a physician who is actively involved in providing emergency trauma care. In
making the initial appointments, the Governor shall appoint four members for a
term of three years and three members for a term of two years. Thereafter,
persons appointed to succeed the initial members shall serve three-year terms of
office. The Governor shall appoint one of the members to serve as the
chairperson of the commission.
(b)
The commission shall meet upon the call of the chairperson or upon the request
of three members. The commission shall organize itself as it deems appropriate
and may elect additional officers from among its members.
(c)
Any vacancy on the commission shall be filled for the unexpired term by
appointment by the Governor.
(d)
Members of the commission shall serve without compensation but shall receive the
same expense allowance per day as that received by a member of the General
Assembly for each day such member of the commission is in attendance at a
meeting of such commission, plus either reimbursement for actual transportation
costs while traveling by public carrier or the same mileage allowance for use of
a personal car in connection with such attendance as members of the General
Assembly receive. Such expense and travel allowance shall be paid in lieu of
any per diem, allowance, or other remuneration now received by any such member
for such attendance.
31-11-102.
The
Georgia Trauma Care Network Commission shall have the following duties and
responsibilities:
(1)
To apply for, receive, and administer state funds appropriated to the commission
and federal funds and grants, private grants and donations, and other funds and
donations;
(2)
To coordinate its activities with the Department of Human
Resources;
(3)
To employ and manage staff and consultants in order to fulfill its duties and
responsibilities under this article;
(4)
To establish, maintain, and administer a trauma center network to coordinate the
best use of existing trauma facilities in the state and to direct patients to
the best available facility for treatment of traumatic injury;
(5)
To establish, maintain, and administer programs for assisting existing trauma
centers in improving their ability to care for persons with traumatic injuries
through grants, technical assistance, and other such assistance, including
programs for trauma care facilities that desire to upgrade to the next higher
level of trauma care;
(6)
To establish, maintain, and administer programs for providing assistance to
existing trauma care centers in covering the costs of unreimbursed health
care;
(7)
To coordinate, assist, establish, maintain, and administer programs designed to
educate the citizens of this state on trauma prevention;
(8)
To coordinate and assist in the collection of data to evaluate the provision of
trauma care services in this state; and
(9)
To study the provision of trauma care in this state to determine the best
practices and methods of providing such care, to determine what changes are
needed to improve the provision of trauma care, and to report any proposed
legislative changes to the General Assembly each
year."
SECTION
2.
All
laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.