The general assembly finds the following:
 1. Trauma is a serious health problem in the state of Iowa and is the leading cause of death of younger Iowans. The death and disability associated with traumatic injury contributes to the significant medical expenses and lost work, and adversely affects the productivity of Iowans.

Terms Used In Iowa Code 147A.22

  • Emergency medical care: means such medical procedures as:
     a. See Iowa Code 147A.1
  • following: when used by way of reference to a chapter or other part of a statute mean the next preceding or next following chapter or other part. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • Person: means a natural person. See Iowa Code 154A.1
  • State: means a state, territory, or possession of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. See Iowa Code 152E.3
  • Trauma: means a single or multisystem life-threatening or limb-threatening injury, or an injury requiring immediate medical or surgical intervention or treatment to prevent death or permanent disability. See Iowa Code 147A.21
  • Trauma care system: means an organized approach to providing personnel, facilities, and equipment for effective and coordinated trauma care. See Iowa Code 147A.21
 2. Optimal trauma care is limited in many parts of the state. With health care delivery in transition, access to quality trauma and emergency medical care continues to challenge our rural communities.
 3. The goal of a statewide trauma care system is to coordinate the medical needs of the injured person with an integrated system of optimal and cost-effective trauma care. The result of a well-coordinated statewide trauma care system is to reduce the incidences of inadequate trauma care and preventable deaths, minimize human suffering, and decrease the costs associated with preventable mortality and morbidity.
 4. The development of the Iowa trauma care system will achieve these goals while meeting the unique needs of the rural residents of the state.
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