The national effort to improve access to trauma care: an interview with U.S. Representative Henry A. Waxman....

The United States Congress is currently considering legislation to encourage states to plan, develop, and implement regional trauma care systems. The two bills--S. 10, introduced by Senator Alan Cranston (D-CA), and H.R. 3133, introduced by Representative Jim Bates (D-CA)--would require that these systems comply with the trauma care standards developed by the American College of Surgeons' Committee on Trauma. Significant progress is being made toward enactment of the House bill, H.R. 3133, due in large part to the efforts of the proposal's original cosponsor, Representative Henry A. Waxman (D-CA). Representative Waxman is Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health and the Environment, which has jurisdiction over federal programs involving emergency medical services systems, and he has played a key role in shaping and refining the House bill. In recognition of recent Congressional action designating May as National Trauma Awareness Month, Representative Waxman agreed to be interviewed for the Bulletin and to discuss H.R. 3133 and his view of the federal government's role in improving access to expert care for victims of injury.