STN Legislative and Public Affairs Interest Group is active in providing information to members on issues that impact trauma systems on the national and regional level. If you are interested in becoming involved with the group or have suggestions for programs for STN to consider, please contact the committee chair.

Contents include:

• STN Position Papers
• Trauma System Agenda for the Future
• National Trauma Legislation
• Legislative Assistance Center
• Programs Supported by STN

STN Position Papers

1.  Position Statement on the Role of the Clinical Nurse Specialist in Trauma
2.  Position Paper on Screening for Alochol Use in Adult Primary care Settings, 2005
3.  Position Paper on the Role of the Nurse Practitioners in Trauma, 2005
4.  Position Paper on Importance of Trauma Systems - Vital Role of Nursing
5.  Position Paper on Trauma Center Role in Disaster Planning

Trauma System Agenda for The Future Document

What is it?
The Trauma System Agenda for Change is a vision document for Trauma Systems that was written by representatives from multiple organizations including the Society of Trauma Nurses. The goal was to outline the challenges facing trauma systems, define the fundamental components and express the vision for all of these components as well as trauma systems as a whole.

Who was involved in writing the document
All trauma disciplines have been involved in writing this document. The meetings, which were facilitated by the American Trauma Society and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, included representatives from the American College of Surgeons, American College of Emergency Physicians, National Association of EMS Directors and the Society of Trauma Nurses, to name just a few.

National Trauma Legislation
Trauma Care Systems Planning and Development Act (Title XII of the Public Health Service Act)

What is it?
Title XII was established by the Trauma Care Systems Planning and Development Act in 1990 and provides federal seed money to assist states in planning and developing statewide trauma care systems.

What is the current issue?
This program has been funded at $3 million and $3.5 million for fiscal years 2001 and 2002 respectively. Despite this investment one-half of the states in the United States are still without a statewide trauma care system. Currently, support is being generated to increase the federal funding of this Act specifically the Trauma Systems provisions and to reduce the state matching requirements.

What can I do?
Watch for Action Alerts under Legislative News.

Coalition for American Trauma Center -  Letter in Support of FY'09 Trauma System Funding.

Legislative Assistance Center
The Legislative Assistance Center is designed to assist you in writing or speaking to your legislators about Trauma Center and / or Trauma System support/funding issues. It includes the following sections:

Template letter: This letter is designed to be edited to suit your specific needs. It should be read carefully to assure that it is appropriate to your situation. Special care should be taken to ensure that the names of the legislators and the name and number of the bill you are supporting are current and correct. In addition, the ideal letter is short and succinct. Therefore the template letter should be edited to include only the sections that are most important for your cause.

Talking points: These are a list of facts that can be used when you speak to your legislators. They include facts about trauma as a disease as well as why Trauma Centers are so important.

There are additional web sites that can assist you in finding the names of your federal and state legislators and information on some current legislation.

Go to the American Hospital Association State, Regional and Metropolitan Site and click on State Links to find your state organization. Most of the state sites give information on legislation pertinent to hospitals and allow you to find your state representatives for your region.

The Society of Trauma Nurses supports the following programs and projects:

Americans for Nursing Shortage Relief
The ANSR Alliance requests at least $205 Million in FY 2005 to fund the Nursing Workforce Development Programs — Title VIII of the Public Health Service Act — under the Health Resources and Services Administration. Americans for Nursing Shortage Relief (ANSR) represents a diverse cross section of healthcare and professional organizations, healthcare providers, and friends of nursing that have united to address the ever-growing nursing shortage. The Alliance and the nation's 2.7 million registered and advanced practice registered nurses (RNs and APRNs) believe Congress must implement a comprehensive set of initiatives to increase the nursing workforce and enhance the status of the profession. The Consensus Document outlines the Alliance's plan to effectively deal with the complex factors contributing to today's nurse and nursing faculty shortages. STN has joined the   list of organizations who have approved the  Consensus Document.

Nurses for a Healthier Tomorrow
This is a coalition of 37 nursing and health care organizations, including the Society of Trauma Nurses, working together to wage a communication campaign to attract people to the nursing profession. Go to Nurse Source for more information on this important endeavor.

I Promise
The I Promise Program is a safe driving initiative developed for families with new young drivers. It consists of a parent-youth mutual safe-driving contract, a rear-window decal, and a 1-year community monitoring service. Visit I Promise for more information.