I encourage each of the readers of this message to vote yes on the Constitutional Amendment 2 on the Nov. 2 ballot.
Georgia’s trauma death rate is 20 percent higher than the national average because trauma care facilities and staffing are severely limited.
Hospital doctors can’t help people that don’t get to them in time. There is a critical window of 60 minutes after a serious injury to get life-saving care. For children, the window is only 30 minutes.
The much needed improvements in the present fragile, fragmented and dangerously underfunded trauma system can be made available for an annual car registration fee of $10. Georgia only has 16 designated trauma care centers but needs at least 30 to meet the needs of Georgia’s population. Even established trauma centers may have to downgrade services or close without dedicated funding streams.
We have a window of opportunity to fix this problem by voting ‘yes’ Nov. 2 on Amendment 2. Funds will go into a designated trust fund and can only be used for trauma care improvements.
Charles B. Gillespie, M.D.
