§300d–91 Military and Civilian Partnership for Trauma Readiness Grant Program

Summary

The Secretary of Health and Human Services, working through the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response and with the Secretary of Defense, must give grants so military trauma teams can work full time at up to 20 high-acuity trauma centers. Each team grant must run 3 to 5 years (and can be renewed) and cannot exceed $1,000,000 per year. Grant money may be spent for 100 days after the grant ends. The Secretary also must give grants to put individual military trauma care providers into Level I, II, or III trauma centers. Those grants run 1 to 3 years (and can be renewed) and pay up to $100,000 per year for each military physician and $50,000 per year for each other military provider. Grantees must agree that the Defense Secretary can deploy those military teams or providers for military operations, training, mass casualty responses, or public health emergencies. Grant funds can be used for training, drills, malpractice insurance, office space, IT, specialty education and supervision, trauma programs, research, and required licenses. Each grant recipient must send an annual report to the Secretaries with data on cases, how well the military staff were integrated, effects on trainees, research, and other required information. At least every two years the Secretary must report to Congress on readiness, civilian care, surge capacity, integration, training, and response ability. Key defined terms (one line each): eligible high‑acuity trauma center (Level I center meeting extra standards), eligible trauma center (Level I–III meeting standards), major trauma (injury severity score ≥15), military trauma team (a full military trauma team), military trauma care provider (an Armed Forces member who gives emergency or trauma care, e.g., physicians, nurses, medics). The program was authorized $11,500,000 for each fiscal year 2019 through 2023.