42 U.S.C. § 300d — Establishment

(a) In general: On trauma care, the Secretary must (1) conduct and fund research, training, evaluations, and demonstration projects; (2) help build modern trauma care systems by sharing information among the agencies and people involved in studying and providing that care; (3) collect, put together, analyze, and share information on what state and local agencies and private groups have achieved and struggled with in providing trauma care and emergency medical services - paying special attention to the unique needs of rural and medically underserved areas; (4) give state and local agencies technical help so each state can develop, put in place, and sustain the trauma care part of its emergency medical services plan; and (5) promote collecting and categorizing trauma data in a consistent, standardized way. (b) Trauma care readiness and coordination: The Secretary, acting through the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, must support states and groups of states as they coordinate and improve emergency medical services and trauma care during a declared public health emergency (under section 247d) or a major disaster or emergency the President declares (under section 5170 or 5191). This support can include (1) creating, issuing, and updating guidance on coordinating medical triage and moving patients to the right medical facilities based on what they need, factoring in regional care systems; (2) sharing information on trauma care practices backed by evidence, considering the emergency medical services and trauma care systems involved - including practices found through the work described in (a), which may include identifying and sharing performance metrics; and (3) other appropriate activities to help hospitals, other health care facilities, critical care units, and emergency medical systems respond to emergencies and handle a surge of patients in a coordinated, flexible way. (c) Grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts: The Secretary may give grants and sign cooperative agreements and contracts to carry out the work described in (a).