Newspaper Page Text
THURSDAY. OCTOBER 21.2010 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 15A
Amendment 2 to directly fund trauma care network
By Bob Dallas, Director
Georgia Governor’s Office
of Highway Safety
On Nov. 2, Georgians will
vote on Amendment 2 to lock-in
the assurance of access to trauma
care in every comer of our state.
Voters must determine if it’s
worth adding less than 30 a day
to the cost of our vehicle tags to
develop a statewide trauma care
network accessible to all Geor
gians, no matter where they
travel, work or live when their
critical injury occurs. Voting for
Amendment 2 will ensure this
level of life saving trauma center
coverage is no accident and is
available for much less than
many motorists pay now for a
vanity tag.
Currently, Georgia has only
16 trauma centers located around
the state. That may sound like a
lot but only four of these are des
ignated as Level 1 trauma cen
ters, designed to handle the very
worst of life- threatening in
juries. Living in the largest state
east of the Mississippi River, this
means Georgia victims of serious
injuries are 20% more likely to
die than the national average for
similar injuries.
Why? Because trauma care
centers can’t save the lives of
people who don’t get to them in
time. Physicians know there’s a
critical window of just 60-min-
utes after a serious injury for
adults to get life-saving care.
They call it “the Golden Hour.”
And for children, that window
lasts only 30 minutes. Sadly,
under the current system, time
under “the Golden Hour” has run
out far too often to give the
chance of life for many of our
family, friends and neighbors
who have experienced trauma
first hand.
Amendment 2 would connect
Georgia’s lifesaving trauma care
funding to vehicle tag fees be
cause that’s where more than half
of Georgia’s trauma injuries
occur: drivers and passengers in
volved in vehicle crashes. The
rest come from accidents in the
work place, and farm and home
injuries.
Amendment 2 ensures fund
ing is available to develop a
trauma care network that’s acces
sible to all Georgians, no matter
where the injury occurs. Most
Georgians don’t realize that cur
rent data shows you or your fam
ily members are more than twice
as likely to die from a crash in
jury if it occurs more than 25
miles from a trauma center. In
this day and age, the conse
quence of a vehicle crash injury
should not be death or disabilities
that last a lifetime. We know it’s
access to trauma care that will
impact that outcome. Access to
trauma care will change the
equation and save lives in Geor
gia.
Georgia’s economic develop
ment and jobs creation can also
benefit from statewide access to
adequate trauma care. It’s a fact
that businesses are more likely to
locate where employees and their
families can be assured of timely
access to emergency healthcare.
The same is true for many re
tirees who live with potential life
threatening medical conditions
and require the assurance of reli
able emergency trauma care re
sponse before they can relocate
to otherwise attractive regions of
Georgia. This means some parts
of Georgia which should be
growing jobs will not be able to
reach their true economic poten
tial when Georgia needs it most.
Access to trauma care equals
jobs.
Amendment 2 also ensures
the funds collected would not go
to the general fund or run the risk
of being spent for unintended
purposes. Just like Georgia Lot
tery funds designated for educa
tion, Amendment 2 if approved
would designate and therefore
ensure trauma funds are spent
only on the trauma care network.
This much we can predict:
Serious injuries will continue to
occur in Georgia irrespective of
how we vote. However, the long
term consequence of those in
juries will depend on whether ac
cess to trauma care is available to
our injured. If a statewide trauma
care network is unavailable, the
cost will certainly be higher and
paid for by all of us in higher in
surance premiums and public
healthcare costs.
On Nov. 2, Amendment 2 is a
question for all of us who own a
car and live in Georgia. Isn’t it
worth just three cents a day to
help build a network that ensures
every trauma injury gets acute
care within “the golden hour”;
thereby saving lives and prevent
ing long term disability? If not,
these become lifelong costs we
must all absorb. So the Amend
ment 2 question really comes
down to this: Do I want to pay a
little for trauma care now or a
whole lot later? Given the im
portance of statewide emergency
care response to us all, no one
should leam the answer by acci
dent.
Last Main Street cruise in this Saturday
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Chili Cook Off
Proceeds Benefit Breast Cancer Research
Saturday, October the 23 rd 11am to 3pm
Each entry is $15.00
Grand Price
$75.00 Kroger Gift Card
Register at Please pay
Customer Care when you register
Cook off will
be held at your
Jasper Kroger
susan c.
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The 2010 Jasper Merchants Association’s cruise in season is winding down this Saturday, Oct. 23.
The event is held on North Main Street in downtown Jasper from 4-8 p.m. Proceeds from the 50/50
drawing and concession stand sales will benefit the Night of Lights Christmas celebration sponsored
by the JMA. The cruise in is a free family oriented event.
Priest Recycling
183 Cornett Lane South
Jasper, GA 30143
Located on 515, 1/2 mile north of Goss Tractor
Now Buying, Metal and Cars.
Buying Copper, Aluminum, Brass
at competitive price per lb.
Mon—Fri 8am—5pm • Sat 8am—3pm
CALL FOR PRICES
678-255-6368 or
706-692-4487
$100 CASH
Drawing
Each Saturday
at Noon
$100 CASH
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Each Saturday
at Noon
Comprehensive Cardiac Care
Close to Home
Cardiac Rehabilitation
Piedmont Mountainside Hospital is pleased to announce the
addition of cardiac rehabilitation services. This program is designed
for those who have recently experienced a cardiac event or have
multiple risk factors for heart disease.
Under the supervision of a physician, the cardiac rehabilitation
staff combines prescriptive exercise with risk factor modification
educational services.
Cardiac Services
• Cardiac Stress Testing
• Cardioversion
• Diagnostic Cardiac Catheterization
• Echocardiography
• Pacemaker Implantation
• TEE (Transesophageal Echocardiography)
• Vascular Testing
You will learn about:
Strengthening your heart
Reducing your risk of future heart problems
Improving your overall health
Exercising safely
Eating heart-healthful
Minimizing your stress
Enrollment in the cardiac rehabilitation program requires a referral from your physician.
State-of-the-art
cardiac catheterization lab
For more information on cardiac services provided by Piedmont Mountainside Hospital, please call 706.692.2441
or visit piedmontmountainsidehospital.org.
Did you know that there is a Piedmont Heart Institute Physicians office near you?
Blairsville
123 Weaver Road • Suite B
Blairsville, Georgia 30512
Phone: 706.439.6380
Blue Ridge/Fannin
2855 Old Highway 5 • Suite 106
Blue Ridge, Georgia 30513
Phone: 706.632.2066
Blue Ridge /Riverstone
101 Riverstone Vista • Suite 217
Blue Ridge, Georgia 30513
Phone: 706.636.6500
Canton
1320 Oakside Drive • Suite 101
Canton, Georgia 30114
Phone: 770.720.2383
East Ellijay
309 Highland Parkway • Suite 201
East Ellijay, Georgia 30540
Phone: 706.636.6500
Ellijay
79 S. Side Church Street
Ellijay, Georgia 30540
Phone: 706.636.6500
Jasper
220 J.L. White Drive • Suite 100
Jasper, Georgia 30143
Phone: 706.253.8001
Murphy
145 Medical Park Lane • Suite I
Murphy, North Carolina 28906
Phone: 828.837.3684
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