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Ind. official: We need statewide trauma network

60 percent of all trauma deaths in state occur where only 25 percent of population lives; 16 counties have no hospital

By Megan Erbacher
Evansville Courier & Press

EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Treating trauma patients in rural areas is exceptionally challenging, Art Logsdon, director of the Division of Trauma and Injury Prevention for the Indiana State Department of Health, said Monday.

More than 50 people turned out to hear Logsdon discuss the state’s plan to build a statewide network of trauma centers during a “listening session” at Evansville’s Central Library.

Logsdon said 60 percent of all trauma deaths occur in areas where only 25 percent of the population lives. “And there’s a lot of reasons for that,” he said. “You have to contact rural EMS, which is harder to do, they have to drive over secondary roads, and drive farther. The rural people are likely to be volunteer and there are no trauma centers in rural areas. It’s a very important part of trauma system development to find ways to improve it.”

Full Story: Indiana official discusses need for statewide trauma network