{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-211.494","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 211.494","heading":"Statewide trauma care program  -- Goals -- Advisory committee  --","body":"Components  of trauma  care system  -- Coordination of activities --\nConfidentiality of data -- Reports -- Administrative regulations.\n(1) A  comprehensive statewide trauma care program shall be established within\nthe Department for Public Health. The statewide trauma care program shall\nconsist of, at a minimum, a statewide trauma care director and a state trauma\nregistrar funded through available federal funds or, to the extent that funds are\navailable, by the trauma care system fund established in KRS  211.496. The\ndepartment may contract with outside entities to perform these functions.\n(2) The statewide trauma care system shall address, at a minimum, the following\ngoals:\n(a) To reduce or prevent death and disability from trauma without regard to\nthe patient's insurance coverage or ability to pay for services;\n(b) To provide optimal care for trauma victims by utilization of best practices\nprotocols and guidelines;\n(c) To  minimize the economic impact of lost wages  and productivity for\ntrauma patients; and\n(d) To contain costs of trauma care.\n(3) (a) The  Department for Public Health shall establish an advisory committee\nto assist in the development, implementation, and continuation of its\nduties.\n(b) The  advisory committee shall consist of eighteen (18) members  to be\nappointed by the secretary of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services\nand  shall be composed  of representatives from the following agencies\nand organizations:\n1. The Department for Public Health;\n2. The Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure;\n3. The Kentucky Board of Nursing;\n4. The Kentucky Board of Emergency Medical Services;\n5. The Kentucky Medical Association;\n6. The Kentucky Hospital Association;\n7. The  Kentucky Committee on Trauma  of the American College of\nSurgeons;\n8. One  (1) representative from each verified Level I trauma center;\n9. One  (1) hospital representative from a Level II verified trauma\ncenter, one (1) hospital representative from a Level III verified\ntrauma center, and one (1) hospital representative from a Level IV\nverified trauma center. The  Kentucky Hospital Association shall\nsubmit recommendations to the secretary for each of the three (3)\nmembers  appointed under this subdivision;\n10. The  Kentucky Chapter of the American College of Emergency\nPhysicians;\n11. The Kentucky Chapter of the Emergency Nurses Association;\n12. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet;\n13. Two  (2) members  at large, one (1) of whom  shall be a health care\nconsumer;\n14. One  (1) representative with extensive experience in injury\nprevention programs; and\n15. One  (1) representative with pediatric trauma experience.\n(c) Members  of the advisory committee shall serve for a period of four (4)\nyears and shall serve until a successor is appointed, except that initial\nterms shall be staggered and one-third (1/3) of the members  shall be\nappointed to four (4) year terms, one-third (1/3) of the members  shall be\nappointed to three (3) year terms, and one-third (1/3) of the members\nshall be appointed for two (2) year terms.\n(d) The  advisory committee shall meet at least on a quarterly basis. The\ncommittee shall elect a chair, a vice chair, and a secretary from among its\nmembers  and adopt rules of governance at the first meeting in each fiscal\nyear. The first meeting of the advisory committee shall occur before\nSeptember 30, 2008.\n(e) Appointed members  shall serve without compensation but may receive\nreimbursement for actual and necessary expenses relating to the duties\nof the advisory committee in accordance with state regulations relating to\ntravel reimbursement.\n(f) Expenses  associated with the advisory committee shall be paid by the\ntrauma care system fund established in KRS  211.496, to the extent funds\nare available.\n(4) The statewide trauma care director and the advisory committee shall develop\nand  implement a statewide trauma care system, integrated with the public\nhealth system for injury prevention, that recognizes levels of care for the\nappropriate delivery of a full range of medical services to all trauma patients in\nthe Commonwealth.  The statewide trauma care system shall include but is not\nlimited to:\n(a) Development  and implementation of trauma prevention and education\ninitiatives;\n(b) Facilitation of appropriate education and continuing education about\ntrauma  care and procedures for physicians, nurses, and emergency\nmedical services personnel;\n(c) Development  and statewide distribution of guidelines and protocols for\nthe care and treatment of trauma victims that include the needs of special\npopulations and are fully integrated with all available resources, including\nbut not limited to emergency medical services, physicians, nurses, and\nhospitals;\n(d) Voluntary hospital trauma center verification through the American\nCollege of Surgeons or the Department for Public Health;\n(e) Local and regional triage and transport protocols for use by the Kentucky\nBoard  of Emergency  Medical Services, emergency  medical services\nproviders, and emergency rooms; and\n(f) Continuing quality assurance and peer review programs.\n(5) The Department for Public Health or the statewide trauma care director and the\nadvisory committee established in this section shall coordinate activities related\nto the care of trauma patients with other state agencies and boards that are\ndirectly or indirectly involved with care of injured persons. Upon request of the\nDepartment for Public Health or the statewide trauma care director, other state\nagencies  and  boards  shall assist and  facilitate the development  and\nimplementation of a statewide trauma care system.\n(6) Data obtained through a trauma registry or other data collected pursuant to\nKRS  211.490 to 211.496 shall be confidential and for use solely by the\nDepartment for Public Health, the statewide trauma care director, the advisory\ncommittee, and persons or public or private entities that participate in data\ncollection for the trauma registry. Personal identifying information that is\ncollected for use in the trauma registry shall not be subject to discovery or\nintroduction into evidence in any civil action.\n(7) The statewide trauma care director shall report information on the status of the\ndevelopment  and  implementation of the statewide trauma system  upon\nrequest.\n(8) The Department for Public Health may promulgate administrative regulations in\naccordance with KRS Chapter 13A to implement this section.","path":["KRS Chapter 211"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=46328","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:52:13Z","sha256":"8461a04721a5f4b570d6eab995746db6790fd582ac07ef5679db9aefc9fe79f8","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-211.492","next":"us-ky/krs-211.496"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}