Community & National Involvement

Table of Contents

According to the ACS-COT (2014), the role of the TPM is to, "participate in the development of trauma care systems at the community, state, provincial, or national levels" (p. 43).

Development of trauma care systems in your community means acting as a liaison between EMS, Hospital Personnel, Definitive Care Facilities, Skilled Nursing Facilities, Home Health Care, Nursing Homes, and Rehabilitation Facilities located in your community. Acting as a liaison provides the TPM with the ability to help facilitate a smooth transition of care for trauma patients across the continuum and analyze care at a system level. Participation in the community as a liaison also helps the TPM affect change in the trauma program by providing connections and building relationships between facilities. Participation in the local Healthcare Coalition or Service Area can provide important bridges needed to establish relationships across the trauma spectrum.

State level engagement in the trauma system can occur in many different ways. Participation in the Iowa Hospital Association's Iowa Trauma Coordinators provides the TPM with a resource pool of coordinators across the state. Iowa has a robust history of system development and has an established a Trauma System Advisory Council (TSAC). Participation in attendance at these meetings allows the trauma coordinator to have a voice in system development across the state. TSAC has a variety of subcommittees which host open meetings and are available for listeners to provide input. These committee dates, times, and locations can either be found on the Iowa Department of Public Health Bureau of Emergency and Trauma Services website or by contacting the State Trauma Program Administrators.

National participation can be accomplished through joining national organizations. This includes, but is not limited to:

TPMs also have the opportunity to be active and engaged in the trauma care facility's service area. Each hospital in Iowa belongs to a service area based off of intra-facility transport data. Trauma performance improvement is being conducted at the service area level. Meetings are conducted quarterly and provide a great opportunity to work with other TPMs in the service area on trauma specific projects.

For more ways to get involved, contact the State of Iowa Trauma Program Administrators.