[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 94 (Friday, July 9, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1350]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING THE MARYLAND SHOCK TRAUMA CENTER

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. C.A. DUTCH RUPPERSBERGER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, July 9, 2004

  Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Speaker, it is truly my honor to stand and 
recognize the men and women of the Maryland Emergency Medical Services 
System and the R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center at the University of 
Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore. After a near-fatal car crash in 
1975, I was airlifted to the Shock Trauma Center where a team of 
dedicated physicians and nurses saved my life. It was a turning point 
for me and I am grateful.
  The Maryland EMS system was the first of its kind in the Nation and 
the Shock Trauma Center stands as the ``core element'' of that system. 
In the late 1950's, long before we watched heroic doctors save lives on 
television's ER, Dr. Cowley of Maryland envisioned a medical facility 
dedicated to the mission of saving lives during that first critical 
``golden hour.'' What began as a 2-bed unit has grown to become a 102-
bed dedicated trauma hospital that treats approximately 7,000 severely 
injured patients each year.
  Dr. Cowley's vision has since become the national model for a fully 
integrated statewide EMS and trauma system. The Maryland Shock Trauma 
Center's survival rate is 98 percent. This survival rate is the product 
of Maryland Shock Trauma's faculty and staff, as well as, its 
pioneering techniques. Its state-of-the-art facilities and equipment 
attracts some of the best medical talent in the Nation. Through 
fellowships and other programs, the center will only continue to set 
the standard. However, Shock Trauma's success also rests on the efforts 
of the pre-hospital providers, both career and volunteer, the Maryland 
State Police Medevac system, the regional trauma centers throughout 
Maryland and the foresight and leadership of the Maryland Institute for 
Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS).
  Proud, though I am of these accomplishments, don't just take my word 
on this. Recently the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 
(NHTSA) conducted an assessment of Maryland's EMS and Trauma system. 
The Maryland EMS system was compared to predetermined ``gold 
standards'' and is recognized as positioned ``to offer national 
leadership in promoting the continued development and improvement of 
other state systems''. The report goes on to say that the system's 
acheivements ``have much to offer in terms of promoting improved 
emergency care throughout the United States''. This is a well-deserved 
and hard-won honor to so many dedicated and devoted emergency care 
professionals in the State of Maryland. Dr. Cowley's vision has become 
a reality that has exceeded everyone's expectations thanks to the 
unceasing efforts of pre-hospital providers, doctors and nurses and 
administrators, along with the unfailing support of Maryland's elected 
officials and its citizens.
  I am grateful for the Maryland EMS and Trauma system, and 
particularly the Maryland Shock Trauma Center--for my family and the 
families of so many thousands of other survivors. I am honored to stand 
here today and recognize this amazing trauma system.




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