Trauma centers and school mental-health groups urge lawmakers to preserve trauma fund and consortium grants

Multiple trauma-center clinicians and administrators testified that recent state investments have measurably improved trauma readiness and outcomes and that reductions would threaten those gains.

Jamie Ganon, trauma program manager at Sinai Hospital, told the subcommittee that trauma centers must maintain 24/7 readiness and that at Sinai "cost to maintain the required specialty readiness exceeded $21.5 million" in fiscal 2022. He warned that rising uncompensated care and growing numbers of uninsured patients make steadied funding essential and urged preservation of the trauma services fund.

Dr. David Efron, chief of trauma at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center, described system-level improvements supported by dedicated funding. He said Shock Trauma treats more than 6,200 critically ill and injured patients annually with a 96% survival rate and that state investments allowed the hospital to staff eight dedicated trauma operating rooms consistently. "Marylanders have invested in us and it is working," Dr. Efron said.

Trauma advocates noted that a recent increase in the vehicle registration/search-charge (from $2.50 to $6.50) contributed to the trauma fund expansion. Speakers said the funds support operating-room staffing, training, prevention programs and the new trauma recovery clinic.

Separately, representatives from the Horizon Foundation, NAMI Maryland and EveryMind urged restoration of a proposed $20 million cut to the consortium on coordinated community supports (the consortium funds school-based behavioral-health services). Morgan Mills (Horizon Foundation) and Alyssa Sanders (EveryMind) said the consortium supported more than 136,000 students in the prior year and warned that a 20% reduction in funding could cut services to tens of thousands of students and cause grantees to close.

Advocates urged the committee to maintain funding levels so school-based mental-health staff and community grantees can continue prevention, early intervention and wraparound services that, they said, yield measurable improvements for students.